The Real Instituto Elcano presents its report "Spain looking to the South" at Casa África

The Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Ignacio Ybáñez Rubio, and the director of Real Instituto Elcano, Charles Powell, presented yesterday at Casa África the report Spain, looking to the South, a text of the Spanish think tank that analyses the interests of Spain in the African continent, our country's relationship with it and the opportunities and challenges presented to us.

Casa África's director general, Luis Padron, accompanied them in this act, and preceded the speeches of two of the main investigators of the centre: Félix Arteaga (Security and Defence) and Haizam Amirah Fernández (Mediterranean and Arab World).

The presentation act of the report turned into a defence of the imperative need that Spain should pivot towards its South, Africa. This shift is difficult - according to this study-because our country has no tradition of presence in Africa, there are still few experts on African issues and its potential strategic partners on the ground are unknown.

According to this document, the Spanish rapprochement to African issues should be progressive and pragmatic and start with systematic research and the increase and deepening of available knowledge of the situation on the ground. Funds, coordination and leadership are commitments of the Real Instituto Elcano, which asserts that, despite all these lacunae, Spain can find ways to benefit from the unquestionable financial and commercial opportunities on the continent.

The Real Instituto Elcano is a Spanish think-tank for international and strategic studies that examines the world from a Spanish, European and global perspective. It is currently the Spanish reference centre in the field of international relations and foreign policy.