Dallas shootings cast shadow over Obama trip to Spain
US President Barack Obama met the king of Spain and acting Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy on July 10, but the trip that was meant to show solidarity with Europe has been overshadowed by violent events in the United States.
 |
Obama was supposed to spend two days in Spain after attending a NATO summit in Warsaw where the United States, Spain and other allies pledged to stand united in the face of threats from Russia and fallout from Britain's vote to leave the European Union.
Speaking alongside King Felipe at Madrid's royal palace, Obama said he wished he could stay longer in Spain, which he said he first visited just before entering law school in his 20s when he was backpacking across Europe.
"We have had a difficult week back in the United States, so my trip is a little abbreviated but I thought it was very important for me to come here, given the extraordinary friendship and alliance between Spain and the US," he said.
King Felipe, who visited Obama in the White House last year with his wife Queen Letizia, said Spain was committed to the closest possible cooperation with the United States.
In an interview with Spain's El Pais published on July 9, Obama called Spain "an indispensable European partner."
"Spain is a strong NATO ally, we're grateful for Spain's many decades of hosting US forces, and we're major trading partners," Obama said in the interview. "That's why the United States is deeply committed to maintaining our relationship with a strong, unified Spain."
