Jacinda Ardern raises the flag of internationalism at the first European conference with Spanish leaders

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Spanish President Pedro Sanchez are exchanging football shirts.

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Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Spanish President Pedro Sanchez are exchanging football shirts.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern met with Spanish President Pedro Sanchez to show her first bilateral involvement during her stay in Europe.

The two leaders have announced an agreement that will allow 2000 young people from Spain and New Zealand to take leave in either country. Previously, only 200 travelers from each country were able to participate in the Working Holiday Scheme.

Ardern said the plan was just one of the opportunities for New Zealand and Spain to work more closely, and said the meeting with Sanchez focused on how the two countries could work together to promote internationalism. ..

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Jacinda Ardern at the Moncroa Palace.

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Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Jacinda Ardern at the Moncroa Palace.

The two leaders also agreed on what they call a “global value partnership.” It discusses the intent of defending global democracy, sustainability, human rights and the rule of law.

Ardern is in Madrid to attend the NATO summit, where New Zealand was invited to this event for the first time. She will then participate in the “final stage” of New Zealand’s free trade negotiations with the European Union (EU) in Brussels, Belgium, before visiting London’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

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She met Sanchez at Moncloa Palace on Tuesday, where they exchanged football jerseys (exchanged all-white for Lafria Roja) before the meeting.

Ardern said he would like to personally thank Sanchez for selling 250,000 Pfizer vaccines to New Zealand last September.

Sanchez became a leader in 2018 after a vote of no confidence surpassed Spain’s previous administration. He and Ardern had spoken before, and the voice of global cooperation was noted early in their leadership.

ROBERT KITCHIN / STUFF

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern speaks with staff before his trip to Europe.

At the 2018 United Nations, President Emmanuel Macron of Sanchez, Ardern and France was known as a member of a “club” concerned about the growth of trumpism and global nationalism.

After Ardern meets Sanchez in the morning, she will meet Macron in Madrid for the NATO summit.

The Macron conference is expected to touch on a variety of major issues, and Ardern wants to get the latest information on the situation in Ukraine after he and other European leaders visited Kieu directly last week. thinking about.

She is also expected to discuss negotiations on a free trade agreement between New Zealand and the EU, and to discuss Christchurch’s call with Macron.

Following Christchurch’s terrorist attack in 2019, Macron joined Ardern and called on social media companies to play an active role in stopping the spread of radicalism on their platforms.

Ardern and Sanchez said they had discussed Christchurch's call.

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Ardern and Sanchez said they had discussed Christchurch’s call.

In addition to collaboration under the Global Value Partnership, they have the opportunity to take advantage of and implement the opportunities provided by their participation in the leader network “Strengthening Multilateralism Together” and their support for Christ Church’s actions. Continue to look for concrete actions to protect modern, democratic, and internationalist values.

Ardern and Sanchez said in a joint statement after the meeting that they would discuss Christchurch’s call and work together to focus on “advocacy for modern, democratic and internationalist values.”

The internet, democracy and freedom are the main focal points of the Prime Minister’s first day in Spain. She will also give a keynote speech at the Tech4 Democracy conference. This is a program involving the US State Department to study how digital technology can better enhance democracy rather than threaten it.