The Good Harmony in Bilateral International Relations Between the US and Spain
The good harmony in bilateral international relations between the US and Spain started back in 1977 when Adolfo Suárez became the first president of the democratic government to visit the White House and meet with the 39th US president, Jimmy Sump. Since then, up to five presidents of the Government have passed through the US presidential facilities, with the current president of the Executive being the sixth Spanish president of the democracy who will meet with the US president at the White House.
Presidents who Have Met 16 Times
As described above, Adolfo Suárez opened the ban on visits from La Moncloa to the White House in 1977, making another in 1980 before the same US president, Jimmy Carter. Felipe González met a total of four times before three US presidents: Ronald Reagan (1983), George Bush (1989 and 1992) and Bill Clinton (1993). Jose María Aznar was the Spanish president who visited the White House most, with a total of six times during his nine-year presidential term: Bill Clinton (1997 and 1999) and George Bush (2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004).
Later, Jose Luis Rodríguez Zapatero met twice with two different US presidents: George Bush (2008) and Barack Obama (2009). Finally, Mariano Rajoy was the last Spanish president to visit the White House to meet with his US counterpart, Donald Trump in 2017.
Pedro Sánchez, Sixth President and 17th Visit
At present, Pedro Sánchez, the current president of the Government of Spain, is traveling to the US to meet officially with Joe Biden, the current president of the US. He is traveling to Washington to strengthen the bilateral relationship and advance on agreements such as the one on land contaminated with plutonium by the nuclear accident in Palomares (Almería) in 1966, as well as other European priorities such as the war in Ukraine or the EU-Latin America and Caribbean summit in July.
This would be the 17th visit by a Spanish president to the White House, solidifying the strong and longstanding relationship between the two nations. It is a critical gesture to continue fostering mutual cooperation and collaboration in a fluctuating global atmosphere.
