10 May 2001

Lord Robertson travels to Spain During a two-day visit to Spain, 10-11 May, NATO Secretary General, Lord Robertson, addressed an international conference in Barcelona on "The new security and defence challenges in the Euro-Atlantic area", before travelling to the capital to hold bilateral meetings with top government officials. In Madrid, he met with the President of the Government, José Maria Aznar, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Josep Piqué and the Minister of Defence, Federico Trillo-Figueroa to discuss current issues including developments in the Balkans, the evolution of the European Security and Defence Identity, missile defence and defence reform. Spain's role in NATO's Mediterranean Dialogue was also raised. At the high-level security and defence conference in Barcelona, Lord Robertson gave the keynote address in which he underlined the need to adopt a broad concept of security to be able to face challenges such as globalisation and regional conflicts. The conference addressed other NATO-related issues such as the adaptation of the Armed Forces to new missions, NATO-EU security and defence cooperation, Europe and NATO's Defence Capabilities Initiative and the impact of the changed international environment on the defence industry. Lord Robertson also met with the President of the Generalitat de Catalunya, Jordi Pujol, and the Mayor of Barcelona, Joan Clos. Additional information: "New Security and Defence Challenges in the Euro-Atlantic Area" - Speech by the Rt.Hon. Lord Robertson, Secretary General of NATO Centro Caixa - Barcelona, Spain - 10 May 2001