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Rabat – Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has announced a major reshuffle of his cabinet that sees Foreign Minister Arancha Gonnzalez Laya replaced with Ambassador Jose Manuel Albares. Laya had been in the crosshairs of both the media and the Moncloa Palace after successive diplomatic setbacks that led to an outright bilateral crisis with Morocco.
The diplomatic crisis with Spain’s southern neighbor appears to have been a major factor in the sacking of Laya, as her replacement is a veteran diplomat known to be a “connoisseur” of Morocco. Albares, a 49-year old francophone diplomat, had been in charge of Spain’s embassy in Paris before Sanchez tapped him for the position of foreign minister.
Albares is a law and business administration graduate who previously held the position of Spain’s Secretary General for International Affairs, European Union, G20 and Global Security. He joined the Spanish embassy in France first as cultural attache before his appointment as Ambassador to France in January, 2020.
Albares had been considered for the post of foreign minister before Laya’s appointment in January 2020. Albares was assigned the role as ambassador to France shortly after it became clear that Laya would take the top job at Spain’s foreign affairs ministry.
Speculation over a possible replacement of Laya began to swirl in Spanish media following the events that led to the current diplomatic stand-off with Morocco. Both Albares and Minister of Agriculture Luis Planas had been considered as likely candidates for the position.
Albares thanked his team at the Spanish embassy in Paris before extending gratitude to Prime Minister Sanchez on Twitter for the appointment. He stated that “there is no greater honor than representing Spain abroad,” adding that he will “spare no effort on it.”
Madrid sees Albares both as a veteran diplomat and an expert communicator who is well-versed in the use of social media, a personal adviser of Sanchez and someone with a keen interest in Morocco.
