H.E. Juan Jose Sanz Aparicio, Ambassador of Spain to Serbia

Spain defends the Republic of Serbia’s sovereignty and the principle of territorial integrity, which is why it does not recognise Kosovo’s Unilateral Declaration of Independence ~ Juan Joze Sanz Aparicio

Juan Joze Sanz Aparicio, the new Spanish ambassador in Belgrade, confirms that bilateral relations between Spain and Serbia are currently excellent. However, he immediately adds that there is still room for progress because “economic and cultural exchanges, although improving every year, are still well below the level of our political relations”. Speaking in this interview for Cord Magazine, Ambassador Sanz Aparicio says that trying to bring more Spanish companies and investments to Serbia will be one of his goals during his time in Belgrade.

Your Excellency, you have been in Serbia for a few months now; in this a country which, according to your embassy’s website, has a relationship with Spain that’s marked by mutual respect and affection. What are your first impressions?

— My first impressions are very positive. I arrived in Belgrade on 28th January and from the very first moment my wife and I have felt your warm hospitality and this affection that we mention on our website. Belgrade is a vibrant city that’s full of history and places to enjoy. Serbia is a wonderful country with an amazing history and a dynamic, stable and flourishing economy (by the way, the most important economy in the region). Moreover, we have ahead of us plenty of historical moments to experience together, such as Expo 2027. I personally look forward to taking part in all these events and doing my bit to try to improve the already good bilateral relation between our two countries.

How would you characterise current bilateral relations?

— Our bilateral relationship is, in general terms, excellent. We have no bones of contention. We have an extraordinary connection politically, as was evident during 2022’s respective visits of President Vučić to Madrid in February and Prime Minister Sánchez to Belgrade in July. I would like to place special emphasis on the fact that this was the first ever visit of a Spanish Prime Minister to Serbia.

These personal contacts yielded excellent results and reinforced and accentuated our bilateral bonds. There is therefore still room for improvement, because our economic and cultural exchanges, although improving every year, are still well below the level of our political relations. It is true that we have witnessed a significant increase in our economic and commercial exchange.

Let me point out that our bilateral exchange grew by 80% between 2022 and 2024 alone, reaching a billion euros. This figure was unprecedented. However, despite all these positive developments, only a handful of Spanish companies are permanently on the ground in Serbia. One of my goals in Belgrade will be to try to improve our business cooperation by bringing more Spanish companies and investments to Serbia, by developing, for instance, infrastructure projects. In this regard, Expo 27 offers us a great window of opportunity.

The recent vote in the Spanish parliament, which overwhelmingly rejected the proposal to recognise Kosovo as an independent state, has attracted significant attention in Serbia. What do you consider as being the strongest argument for Spain maintaining this stance, despite calls to the contrary from the EU majority?

To sum up our position, allow me to quote the Spanish intervention at the International Court of Justice in 2009: “Spain is convinced that the unilateral declaration of independence of Kosovo proclaimed by its provisional government institutions is not in accordance with International Law, nor with the principle of sovereignty and territorial integrity of Serbia”.

This 20th anniversary of the 2004 opening of the Instituto Cervantes in Belgrade provides a great opportunity to relaunch our cultural strategy, offering the Serbian public new content and activities

Our position is therefore based firmly on solid principles of International Law and especially on the universally accepted principle of state sovereignty as established by the UN Charter, some resolutions adopted by the UNGA and other international instruments of great importance, such as the Helsinki Final Act or the Charter of Paris for a New Europe. Considering this legal argument, all Spanish Governments since 2008, without exception and regardless of the political party that won the elections, have maintained the same position: Spain defends the sovereignty and principle of territorial integrity of the Republic of Serbia and therefore does not recognise Kosovo’s Unilateral Declaration of Independence.

You have stated that improving economic cooperation is a priority of your future work. In which areas could this cooperation develop most rapidly?

— For Spain, it is essential that the Framework Protocol on Financial and Technical Cooperation, signed on 2nd November 2022, enters into force. This international bilateral agreement should become a crucial element of our future relationship and should allow Spanish companies, some of which are world leaders in their capacities, to share their experiences and knowhow with Serbian counterparts in different areas, such as railway infrastructure, renewable energy, the food industry, smart cities, agricultural technology or tourism.

You have expressed the ambition to increase the presence of Spanish culture in Serbia. How do you envisage the Cervantes Institute, which recently celebrated 20 years of operations in Belgrade, evolving over the decade ahead?

— I have also realised that Serbian people know and love Spanish culture, which they find very appealing. Considering this, we plan to reinforce our cultural presence all around this country, and not only in Belgrade.

Obviously, Instituto Cervantes will have a fundamental role to play on this issue, as our flagship institution of culture, which offers a wide selection of cultural events including literature, music, cinema, theatre and exhibitions, as well as Spanish language courses for all levels of proficiency. This work is complementary to the amazing efforts of the Spanish Language Departments at the universities of Belgrade, Kragujevac and Novi Sad, as well as of the many Spanish language teachers in public and private schools across Serbia.

This 20th anniversary of the 2004 opening of the Instituto Cervantes in Belgrade provides a great opportunity to relaunch our cultural strategy, offering the Serbian public new content and activities.

After two decades, I also believe it is now time for Instituto Cervantes to formalise its situation in Serbia, overcoming the limitations stemming from the fact that it is housed in a rented building. Permanent offices for this institute won’t only represent an acknowledgment of our firm and solid commitment to Serbia, but will also allow it to fulfil its mandate more effectively – not only in Serbia, but across the entire Balkan region.

You convey a message of support for Serbia’s European integration to your interlocutors in the country. Given your experience, do you believe the EU will admit a new member state in the foreseeable future and, if so, is it more likely to be Ukraine or a Western Balkan country?

— Serbia’s place is in Europe. In fact, it is difficult to understand the history of Europe in the 20th century if you don’t know the history of Serbia and the Balkans. Spain fully supports Serbia’s candidacy to join the European Union and we have consistently reaffirmed our commitment to the EU membership of all Western Balkan countries. Moreover, the Council of the European Union decided in December 2023, under the Spanish Presidency, to accelerate the process. However, you must take into account the fact that these negotiations are always long and complicated and have their ups and downs. Sometimes you can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. They are also influenced by internal (domestic) and external (international) factors that are sometimes unpredictable (such as the war in Ukraine), and it is therefore very difficult to foresee their development over the long term. At any rate, accession negotiations with the country you mention started recently, and it would consequently be logical to expect those negotiations that are already more advanced to conclude earlier. In diplomacy, persistence and patience are two indisputable values.

Prior to your arrival in Serbia, you served as special envoy of the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the Gibraltar region. This area has become particularly interesting post-Brexit, due to the need for a long-awaited agreement between Spain and the UK on Gibraltar’s final status. What is the fate of this “British colony on Spanish territory”?

Brexit was a disaster for Gibraltar. Some 98% of voters there voted to remain in the EU. Considering the close social and economic links between Gibraltar and the surrounding area (The Campo), the Spanish Government decided to take the bull by the horns and devise an original proposal to build a new relationship between Gibraltar and the EU in which Spain would be the member state responsible for applying European Law in Gibraltar. The final goal is to create a zone of shared prosperity covering the whole area, integrating Gibraltar into the Schengen Area and, partially, into the Custom Union, while removing all existing physical barriers preventing the circulation of people and goods. And, more importantly, safeguarding the respective positions of the United Kingdom and Spain on Gibraltar’s sovereignty. This is what we have been negotiating since 2020. It is very complex, but if you consider that this situation is 320 years old (England first occupied Gibraltar on 4th August, 1704), who said it would be easy? We once again need persistence and patience.