The Foreign Minister, José Manuel Albares, has stated that the former president José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero «does not represent the Government nor does he have its authorisation» in his role as a mediator in Venezuela, although he does have its recognition. «He performs a function that the Government appreciates and acknowledges,» Albares highlighted at a press conference in Moncloa, following the first meeting of the Council of Ministers of 2026, noting that this work began in 2015, at the request of the Venezuelan opposition, in the context of a negotiation and dialogue process.
