King of Spain and German President Strengthen Ties During State Visit

In the Royal Palace dining room, at an imperial table for about one hundred guests, King Felipe VI tonight appealed to the bonds that unite Spain and Germany during the Gala dinner in honor of the President of the Federal Republic Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his wife, Elke Büdenbender, who began their state visit to Spain this morning. After King Felipe's speech, Steinmeier addressed the King and Queen and the rest of the guests, describing his visit to Madrid as a meeting 'between friends' and stressing that 'our friendship is valuable' and 'precious', forged 'not for decades, but for centuries'. 'On behalf of the Spanish people, I recognize and thank you, Mr. President, for the gesture of deep symbolic significance and concord that will take place these days: Your visit to the Basque Country, where I will accompany you to honor the memory of the victims of the bombing of the city of Guernica in April 1937 during our terrible Civil War, which was largely a prelude to what happened in Europe shortly after; a reminder of the horror to which totalitarianism leads'. King Felipe wore the Order of the Golden Fleece, and Queen Letizia chose the Cartier tiara and the chaton earrings from the jeweler. Before the toast, King Felipe stated that 'we live in unsettling times, marked by the crisis of multilateralism and the rules-based world order'. Like the King, the federal president also celebrated the close cooperation in the economy, culture, and science, and recalled that more than 300,000 citizens live between Spain and Germany. If early this morning the King and Queen received the German president and the first lady with honors in the Armory Courtyard, at the end of the day they hosted a dinner at their official residence. Pradales attended because Steinmeier's state visit will conclude on Friday precisely in Guernica. The King will accompany him, and it will also be his first visit. After the initial greetings in the Throne Room, the King and Queen and the presidential couple moved to the Gala dining room, where the rest of the guests were already waiting at the table. A path that, through memory and reconciliation, leads to a shared future'. Beethoven and Spanish music from the 80s At the start of the dinner, the national anthem of the Federal Republic of Germany was played, and at the end, the Spanish national anthem was played. Among those present were the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares. 'To this we want to do justice. Now and in the future,' warned Steinmeier. 'Freedom, democracy, social justice, and respect for human dignity unite us,' stated the King, while assuring that 'Europe unites us'. 'In this general climate of uncertainty,' King Felipe expressed that 'it is necessary to stress the importance of our cooperation on security and defense, within NATO and the European Union, which translates, among other things, into missions of great importance for peace and stability, especially on the eastern flank of Europe'. Steinmeier also placed memory as the foundation of the present and highlighted the trip to the Basque Country, where he will visit Guernica, a gesture he called deeply personal this same afternoon in the Congress of Deputies. In this context, he recalled that throughout this year 'we continue to witness with frustration and indignation unacceptable violations of international law, with gravest humanitarian consequences' in several countries in Africa, in the Middle East, and 'on our own continent', in Ukraine, 'this war initiated by Russia's aggression and which is heading towards lasting 4 years'. 'It is very important to me that we do not forget what happened then, and I am consciously directing this sentence to my compatriots in Germany: Germans committed this crime. 'The horror, pain, and grief are still alive today in many Basque families,' he explained. During the evening, the guests enjoyed a menu designed by Paco Roncero, which included salted cod with celery puree, Manchego cheese and confit tomatoes; sea bream with beurre rouge and artichokes; beetroot with red fruits and licorice cream. The Royal Guard's Music Unit enlivened the dinner with a selection of pieces chosen especially for the occasion. Iconic works such as the second movement of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, Wagner's 'Tannhäuser', or Albéniz's 'Sevilla' were played, as well as Spanish music from the 80s. Steinmeier also expressed his joy that Felipe VI will accompany him to Guernica: 'I am deeply glad that you will accompany me. That you can visit that place by my side shows the long path we have traveled together since then'. He warned of the 'double historical rupture' that Europe is experiencing and pointed directly to Putin's war of aggression against Ukraine, which 'has also destroyed the European security architecture' and 'threatens our freedom in Europe'. He recalled that 'Germans committed grave crimes in Guernica' when the Condor Legion bombed it in 1937.