Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier began a three-day state visit to Spain on Wednesday. This is the first state visit of a federal president to the country in 23 years. Early in his journey, Steinmeier received military honors from Spanish King Felipe VI. and received by Queen Letizia. The Federal President will later give a speech at a joint meeting of the House of Representatives and Senate in Madrid.
Meetings with business representatives, talks with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and a visit to Real Madrid football club are planned for Thursday. On Friday, Steinmeier will become the first German head of state to visit the Basque town of Guernica, which was almost completely destroyed in a German air raid in 1937 during the Spanish Civil War. Steinmeier’s trip to Spain came shortly after the 50th anniversary of the death of Spanish dictator Francisco Franco, who supported Nazi Germany during the Civil War.
