A protocol error with the flag of Spain It was the anecdote that marked the morning of the first day of the NATO summit in Madrid. It happened during the opening of the meeting, when the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, spoke before the leaders of the member countries while the flag was placed face down.
The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, during his speech on the first day of the NATO summit EFE EFE/RODRIGO JIMENEZ
Upon learning of the ruling, the NATO spokeswoman, Oana Lungescu, expressed on the social network Twitter the apologies from the organization to the host country and has assured that the error was corrected immediately. An affirmation that he has verified by attaching an image in which Sánchez appears with the flag in the correct position.
“Due to an error, the Spanish flag was positioned incorrectly at the start of the Summit. The error was immediately corrected, as you can see in the photo. #BORN I sincerely apologize for this mistake & thanks Spain ���� for the outstanding hosting of the Summit. pic.twitter.com/0ctWCnz7pQ“
— Oana Lungescu (@NATOpress) June 29, 2022
After the traditional family photo, the presidents and prime ministers of the Alliance went to the plenary room, where the leader of the Alliance, Jens Stoltenberg, gave way to Sánchez to address his first words to the leaders. It was then that the flag that was on the table in front of the president could be seen upside down.
The episode is reminiscent of the one experienced during Sánchez’s visit to Rabat at a dinner with the King of Morocco, Mohamed VI, when the Spanish flag could also be seen with the shield upside down. This occurrence was later attributed to an inadvertent protocol error.
View of the press room during the first day of the NATO summit EFE EFE/SERGIO PEREZ
But the journey has also left other snapshots: from affectionate greetings to the image of an armored Madrid.
The greetings of the leaders, some more affectionate than others
Among the greetings from the leaders, the one from the President of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, and his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron. Both have kissed each other on the cheek and hugged each other upon arrival at the summit.
The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez (l) greets the French President, Emmanuel Macron (r) EFE EFE/JUANJO MARTIN
The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez (d), together with the Secretary General of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg (l), and the French President, Emmanuel Macron (c) EFE EFE/JUANJO MARTIN
They have also been close Turkish President Recep Tayyip ErdoganBritish Prime Minister Boris Johnson, US President Joe Biden and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan talks with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson (r) in front of US President Jeo Biden (c) and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg EFE EFE/JUAN CARLOS HIDALGO
The President of the United States, Joe Biden (l), and the Secretary General of the Atlantic Alliance, Jens Stoltenberg (r) EFE EFE/LAVANDEIRA JR.
Biden and Sanchez they also shared moments of complicity both before the opening of the meeting and afterwards.
The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez (r) greets the US President, Joe Biden (l) EFE EFE/RODRIGO JIMENEZ
The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez (d) together with the Secretary General of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg (l), and the President of the United States, Joe Biden (c) EFE EFE/BRAIS LORENZO
Among the leaders that Sánchez has welcomed are the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, whom he has received with a handshake, the Icelandic Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttirand the Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen.
The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, greets the Prime Minister of Iceland, Katrín Jakobsdóttir EFE EFE/BRAIS LORENZO
The President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, greets the Danish Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen EFE EFE/BRAIS LORENZO
Also, the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyhas appeared by videoconference from his country, at war with Russia, and has taken advantage of the occasion to demand aid of 5,000 million dollars a month and weapons such as modern missiles.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky during the NATO summit REUTERS
Madrid, an armored city
The capital of Spain has woken up this Wednesday armored to ensure the safety of political leaders invited to the NATO summit. The great deployment of authorities has been able to leave photos like the one of the National Police vans on the facade of the Intercontinental Hotel in Madrid.
View of the facade of the Intercontinental Hotel in Madrid armored by vans of the National Police EFE EFE/LUIS MILLÁN
View of the La Cibeles fountain in Madrid with the flags of Spain and NATO EFE EFE/LUIS MILLÁN
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