LXVI Meeting of Peninsular General Staffs in Madrid

• General Staffs of the Armed Forces of Spain and Portugal have met to discuss matters of common interest.

The General Headquarters of the Defence General Staff hosted the LXVI edition of the Peninsular General Staff Meeting. A sample of the privileged relationship that Spain and Portugal maintain and that is born from the Treaty of Friendship that both countries signed in Lisbon, in 1939, more than 80 years ago. The magnificent understanding of the two Armed Forces is based on our Iberian roots, which make us share a common history, geography and culture, as well as on the human and professional quality of the military who, throughout these years, have worked to serve our common interests and face shared threats.

Delegations were co-chaired, on the Spanish side, by Lieutenant General Fernando García González-Valerio, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and, on the Portuguese side, by Vice Admiral António Manuel Henriques Gomes, Deputy for Planning and Coordination of the General Staff of the Armed Forces.

In addition to the joint meetings, the Armies and Navies of both countries held their own bilateral meetings, in which specific matters of common interest were discussed.

Among the topics discussed, positions were shared on the main current issues in the European Union and NATO, bilateral cooperation in various areas such as education, cyber defense, training and coordination and mutual support in international missions and operations.

In all these matters, the effort of both countries to seek joint solutions, derived from a common perception of the challenges, challenges and threats that arise and the high level of international commitment to security and defense shown by Spain and Portugal, was evident.

Next edition of this yearly meeting will be held in Lisbon, Portugal.