No founding NATO article signed in 1949 provides for the suspension or exclusion of a member of the Atlantic Alliance.
Pedro Sanchez in Madrid, Spain on June 30, 2022. (AFP / PIERRE-PHILIPPE MARCOU)
Interrogated on press reports that Washington was considering suspending Spain from certain positions within NATO, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez stated on Friday, April 24 that he was not worried.
“Spain is a reliable partner within NATO and we fulfill our obligations to the Alliance,” he defended in English to the press at the opening of a summit of EU leaders in Cyprus, before adding, “So, no worries.”
“We do not work on the basis of emails (which according to the press mention such reflection in Washington), we work on the basis of official documents and positions taken by the United States government,” he also asserted in Spanish.
“The Spanish government’s position is clear: absolute cooperation with our allies, but always within the framework of international legality,” he continued in Spanish.
Pedro Sánchez’s Spanish government has opposed the war led by the United States and Israel against Iran since late February. This firm stance has strongly irritated President Donald Trump, who has criticized Madrid for refusing to let the United States use military bases in Andalusia to carry out air attacks, even threatening to “cease all trade” between the two countries. For several months, Donald Trump has also reproached Spain for not increasing its military spending to 5% of GDP, as required by NATO’s new objective pushed by Washington.
According to press reports, the United States is considering suspending Spain’s participation in positions of responsibility within the Alliance. No founding NATO article signed in 1949 provides for the suspension or exclusion of a member of the Atlantic Alliance.
Madrid believes it is able to meet the military capacity goals set by NATO, while limiting its military spending to 2% of its GDP.
