Russia–Spain relations
Encyclopedia
Russia–Spain relations refers to the bilateral
foreign relations
between the Russian Federation and Kingdom of Spain. Russia has an embassy in Madrid and a consulate-general in Barcelona, and Spain has an embassy in Moscow
. Spain and the Grand Duchy of Moscow
first exchanged envoy
s in 1520s; regular embassies were established in 1722. Soviet
-Spanish relations, once terminated after the Spanish Civil War
, were gradually reestablished since 1963 and fully established in 1977. Trade between the two countries amounts to two billion Euro
s (2008); in March 2009, the two countries signed an energy agreement providing national energy companies access to other party's domestic markets.
go back to 1519, when King Charles I of Spain
notified Grand Duke Vasili III of Russia
of his ascension to the throne of the Holy Roman Empire
as Charles V. In 1523 Yakov Polushkin delivered Vasili's response to the court at Valladolid
, thus becoming the first Russian envoy to Spain. In 1525 Russian envoys Ivan Zasekin-Yaroslavsky and Semen Borisov presented their credentials to Charles; they brought news of the Discovery of the Americas to Muscovy.
The Spanish Inquisition
and especially the aftermath of the Alhambra Decree
expelling Jews
from the Kingdom were of particular interest to 16th century Russian clergy, then obsessed with suppressing the Judaizers
heresy
within the Russian Orthodox Church
. Muscovy, unlike contemporary European nations, studied the Inquisition not "as an example to avoid but a model to imitate".
Another temporary contact was established by Pyotr Potemkin
's embassy (1667–1668) during the reign of Alexis I of Russia
.
Regular embassies of the two countries were established by Peter I of Russia
and Philip V of Spain
in 1722; in 1723, Russia also opened a consulate in Cádiz
. Prince Sergey Golitsyn served as the first Russian ambassador to Spain; duke Diego Francisco de Liria
, who also inherited the Jacobite
title of Duke of Berwick, served as ambassador of Spain in Russia. However, after the unexpected death of Peter II of Russia
, Spain declared the ascension of Anna of Russia
unlawful and severed diplomatic relations until 1759. De Liria, who closely watched the events of 1730, provided an important account of Anna's ascension.
In 1799–1801 Spain severed ties after Paul I of Russia
assumed the Catholic
title of Grand Master
of Knights Hospitaller
; in 1833–1856 Russia closed the embassies, denying legitimacy of Isabella II of Spain
. Apart from these two conflicts, relationships were uneventful; the two countries were never engaged in direct war against each other. In 1756–1763 they were allies in the Seven Years' War
. During the Napoleonic Wars
the two countries were either allies or foes, but did not engage each other directly.
established diplomatic relations with the Second Spanish Republic
on July 28, 1933. An Old Bolshevik
, former Commissar for Education Anatoly Lunacharsky, was appointed Plenipotentiary Representative (ambassador
) to Spain but died en route to his station, in France
. His replacement, Marsel Rosenberg (1896–1938) and Consul-general
Vladimir Antonov-Ovseenko
(1883–1938) arrived in Madrid
in 1936, when Spanish Civil War
was already underway. Both were soon called back to Moscow and executed for an alleged trotskist
conspiracy.
The Soviet Union actively supported the Republicans through the course of the Civil War with military advisers, "volunteers" and weapons supplied in exchange for Bank of Spain gold reserves later known as Moscow gold
(see Foreign involvement in the Spanish Civil War
). The monument to Soviet volunteers in Madrid, inaugurated in 1989 by mayor Juan Barranco Gallardo
and Soviet ambassador Sergey Romanovsky, lists 182 names of identified Soviet combatants killed during the war. With the fall of Republicans in 1939, Soviet Union severed all ties with Francoist Spain. During World War II
the Blue Division
of Spanish volunteers fought against the Soviets on the Eastern Front
, but Francisco Franco
steered Spain away from direct participation in the war.
Spain's relations with the Soviets after World War II
were described as "the worst, though hardly the most problematic", culminating in Nikita Khrushchev
's speech against Franco's regime in the United Nations General Assembly
on October 1, 1960 and Franco's ban on the Spain vs. USSR game of the 1960 European Nations' Cup scheduled earlier in the same year. Soon, however, the same leaders began gradual reestablishment of contacts. In April 1963 Khrushchev and Franco exchanged letters on disarmament
and the fate of Julián Grimau
; in January 1964 Franco appealed to Khrushchev again. According to Soviet explanation of events, the move was initiated by the Spanish government.
Until 1969, relations were informally maintained through Soviet and Spanish embassies in France
. In 1967 Spanish and Soviet representatives agreed to open their seaports to ships carrying flag of the other country; in 1969 the Soviet state-owned Black Sea Shipping Company opened an office in Madrid – the first Soviet establishment in Spain since the Civil War. This office, staffed by professional diplomats, and headed by Sergey Bogomolov, who relocated to Madrid from Paris
, doubled as the de facto Soviet consulate.
The two countries signed an agreement on foreign trade in 1972 and established permanent trading missions in 1973; these offices assumed and maintained consular duties. Igor Ivanov
, future foreign minister of independent Russia, has served in Madrid in 1973–1983. Finally, after Franco's death, the Soviet Union and Spain reestablished full diplomatic relations on February 9, 1977. Bogomolov assumed the title of Soviet ambassador and presented his credentials to king Juan Carlos I of Spain
on May 5, 1977. Relations of this period were not exactly friendly, marred with mutual expulsion
of alleged spies operating under diplomatic immunity
; things got worse when Spain was admitted into NATO in 1981, an act regarded by the USSR as a "violation of Soviet interests".
After Bogomolov moved up to a senior position in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1978, he was replaced by Yuri Dubinin, who steered Soviet policy in Spain through the last phase of the Cold War
, until 1986. Dubinin actively promoted the idea of a state visit by Juan Carlos to Moscow; only after five years of preparations did Andrei Gromyko
approve the visit that materialized in May 1984. Alexander Igorevich Kuznetsov, current (2009, appointed in June 2005) Russian ambassador to Spain and Andorra
, has served in Madrid under Dubinin in 1982–1986.
The Embassy of Russia in Madrid, inherited from the Soviet Union, was built in 1986–1991. The land lot at 155, Calle de Velasquez, was provided to the Soviets in 1980, but was loaded with zoning
regulations limiting building height to 6 meters, presence of Spanish military cables running underground and a gypsy squat town
sprawling above – these obstacles held off construction for years. The building was initially designed by painter Ilya Glazunov
; Glazunov later contributed interior design, building structure was redesigned by architect Anatoly Polikarpov.
on December 9, 1991. Igor Ivanov
, a veteran of the Soviet embassy in Madrid, was appointed Ambassador of Russia to Spain and served in Madrid until 1994. In April 1994 president Boris Yeltsin
became the first Russian head of state to pay a state visit to Spain. Juan Carlos visited Russia in 2002, 2006 and 2008. Two months after the informal 2006 visit, media reported that the king shot a sedated, domesticated bear (a common treat for high-ranking guests at Russian hunting reserves). The king's spokeswoman and Russian authorities denied the fact.
Spain's share in Russian foreign trade in early 2000s hovered at just above 1% of Russian exports (dominated by oil and raw materials); Spanish exports to Russia were significantly lower (2001: 488 million US dollars vs. 890 million). In 2008, according to Dmitry Medvedev
, foreign trade levelled at 2 billion Euro
(less than 1% of either country's foreign trade) while that between Russia and other countries comparable to Spain is measured in tens of billion euro. Spain's share in foreign direct investment
to Russian economy remains insignificant, the largest investment (as at 2003), at 319 million US dollars, has been made by Segura Consulting.
In December 2000 the relations were strained by Spain' refusal to extradite
fugitive banker and media executive Vladimir Gusinsky
. Gusinsky, arrested and released in Spain, emigrated to Israel
in April 2001.
During the most recent state visit of Russian president Dmitry Medvedev
to Spain, in March 2009, two countries signed an energy agreement giving Spanish companies greater access to Russian fossil fuels in exchange to easing Spanish regulations regarding purchase of Spanish energy companies by Russian businesses. According to Spanish prime minister Zapatero
, "The memorandum means greater security in Spain's energy supplies and it guarantees better access for our companies to Russian energy reserves". The memorandum was followed by an agreement between Gazprom
and Gas Natural
that gives the Spanish side access to Gazprom's export pipelines and, potentially, Shtokman gas field
output, in exchange for a stake in Spanish electric utilities.
Bilateralism
Bilateralism consists of the political, economic, or cultural relations between two sovereign states. For example, free trade agreements signed by two states are examples of bilateral treaties. It is in contrast to unilateralism or multilateralism, which refers to the conduct of diplomacy by a...
foreign relations
Diplomacy
Diplomacy is the art and practice of conducting negotiations between representatives of groups or states...
between the Russian Federation and Kingdom of Spain. Russia has an embassy in Madrid and a consulate-general in Barcelona, and Spain has an embassy in Moscow
Embassy of Spain in Moscow
The Embassy of Spain in Moscow is the diplomatic mission of Spain in the Russian Federation. It is located at 50 Bolshaya Nikitskaya Street in the Presnensky District of Moscow.- External links :...
. Spain and the Grand Duchy of Moscow
Grand Duchy of Moscow
The Grand Duchy of Moscow or Grand Principality of Moscow, also known in English simply as Muscovy , was a late medieval Rus' principality centered on Moscow, and the predecessor state of the early modern Tsardom of Russia....
first exchanged envoy
Envoy (title)
In diplomacy, an Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary is, under the terms of the Congress of Vienna of 1815, a diplomat of the second class, ranking between an Ambassador and a Minister Resident....
s in 1520s; regular embassies were established in 1722. Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
-Spanish relations, once terminated after the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
, were gradually reestablished since 1963 and fully established in 1977. Trade between the two countries amounts to two billion Euro
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
s (2008); in March 2009, the two countries signed an energy agreement providing national energy companies access to other party's domestic markets.
Muscovy and Imperial Russia
Official contacts between Spain and the Grand Duchy of MoscowGrand Duchy of Moscow
The Grand Duchy of Moscow or Grand Principality of Moscow, also known in English simply as Muscovy , was a late medieval Rus' principality centered on Moscow, and the predecessor state of the early modern Tsardom of Russia....
go back to 1519, when King Charles I of Spain
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V was ruler of the Holy Roman Empire from 1519 and, as Charles I, of the Spanish Empire from 1516 until his voluntary retirement and abdication in favor of his younger brother Ferdinand I and his son Philip II in 1556.As...
notified Grand Duke Vasili III of Russia
Vasili III of Russia
Vasili III Ivanovich was the Grand Prince of Moscow from 1505 to 1533. He was the son of Ivan III Vasiliyevich and Sophia Paleologue and was christened with the name Gavriil...
of his ascension to the throne of the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
as Charles V. In 1523 Yakov Polushkin delivered Vasili's response to the court at Valladolid
Valladolid
Valladolid is a historic city and municipality in north-central Spain, situated at the confluence of the Pisuerga and Esgueva rivers, and located within three wine-making regions: Ribera del Duero, Rueda and Cigales...
, thus becoming the first Russian envoy to Spain. In 1525 Russian envoys Ivan Zasekin-Yaroslavsky and Semen Borisov presented their credentials to Charles; they brought news of the Discovery of the Americas to Muscovy.
The Spanish Inquisition
Spanish Inquisition
The Tribunal of the Holy Office of the Inquisition , commonly known as the Spanish Inquisition , was a tribunal established in 1480 by Catholic Monarchs Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile. It was intended to maintain Catholic orthodoxy in their kingdoms, and to replace the Medieval...
and especially the aftermath of the Alhambra Decree
Alhambra decree
The Alhambra Decree was an edict issued on 31 March 1492 by the joint Catholic Monarchs of Spain ordering the expulsion of Jews from the Kingdom of Spain and its territories and possessions by 31 July of that year.The edict was formally revoked on 16 December 1968, following the Second...
expelling Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
from the Kingdom were of particular interest to 16th century Russian clergy, then obsessed with suppressing the Judaizers
Judaizers
Judaizers is predominantly a Christian term, derived from the Greek verb ioudaïzō . This term is most widely known from the single use in the New Testament where Paul publicly challenges Peter for compelling Gentile believers to "judaize", also known as the Incident at Antioch.According to the...
heresy
Heresy
Heresy is a controversial or novel change to a system of beliefs, especially a religion, that conflicts with established dogma. It is distinct from apostasy, which is the formal denunciation of one's religion, principles or cause, and blasphemy, which is irreverence toward religion...
within the Russian Orthodox Church
Russian Orthodox Church
The Russian Orthodox Church or, alternatively, the Moscow Patriarchate The ROC is often said to be the largest of the Eastern Orthodox churches in the world; including all the autocephalous churches under its umbrella, its adherents number over 150 million worldwide—about half of the 300 million...
. Muscovy, unlike contemporary European nations, studied the Inquisition not "as an example to avoid but a model to imitate".
Another temporary contact was established by Pyotr Potemkin
Pyotr Potemkin
Pyotr Ivanovich Potyomkin was a Russian courtier, diplomat and namestnik of Borovsk during the reigns of Tsars Alexis I and Feodor III....
's embassy (1667–1668) during the reign of Alexis I of Russia
Alexis I of Russia
Aleksey Mikhailovich Romanov was the Tsar of Russia during some of the most eventful decades of the mid-17th century...
.
Regular embassies of the two countries were established by Peter I of Russia
Peter I of Russia
Peter the Great, Peter I or Pyotr Alexeyevich Romanov Dates indicated by the letters "O.S." are Old Style. All other dates in this article are New Style. ruled the Tsardom of Russia and later the Russian Empire from until his death, jointly ruling before 1696 with his half-brother, Ivan V...
and Philip V of Spain
Philip V of Spain
Philip V was King of Spain from 15 November 1700 to 15 January 1724, when he abdicated in favor of his son Louis, and from 6 September 1724, when he assumed the throne again upon his son's death, to his death.Before his reign, Philip occupied an exalted place in the royal family of France as a...
in 1722; in 1723, Russia also opened a consulate in Cádiz
Cádiz
Cadiz is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the homonymous province, one of eight which make up the autonomous community of Andalusia....
. Prince Sergey Golitsyn served as the first Russian ambassador to Spain; duke Diego Francisco de Liria
James Fitz-James Stuart, 2nd Duke of Berwick
James Francis Fitz-James Stuart, 2nd Duke of Berwick, was a Jacobite and Spanish nobleman...
, who also inherited the Jacobite
House of Stuart
The House of Stuart is a European royal house. Founded by Robert II of Scotland, the Stewarts first became monarchs of the Kingdom of Scotland during the late 14th century, and subsequently held the position of the Kings of Great Britain and Ireland...
title of Duke of Berwick, served as ambassador of Spain in Russia. However, after the unexpected death of Peter II of Russia
Peter II of Russia
Pyotr II Alekseyevich was Emperor of Russia from 1727 until his death. He was the only son of Tsarevich Alexei Petrovich, son of Peter I of Russia by his first wife Eudoxia Lopukhina, and Princess Charlotte, daughter of Duke Louis Rudolph of Brunswick-Lüneburg and sister-in-law of Charles VI,...
, Spain declared the ascension of Anna of Russia
Anna of Russia
Anna of Russia or Anna Ivanovna reigned as Duchess of Courland from 1711 to 1730 and as Empress of Russia from 1730 to 1740.-Accession to the throne:Anna was the daughter of Ivan V of Russia, as well as the niece of Peter the Great...
unlawful and severed diplomatic relations until 1759. De Liria, who closely watched the events of 1730, provided an important account of Anna's ascension.
In 1799–1801 Spain severed ties after Paul I of Russia
Paul I of Russia
Paul I was the Emperor of Russia between 1796 and 1801. He also was the 72nd Prince and Grand Master of the Order of Malta .-Childhood:...
assumed the Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
title of Grand Master
Grand Master (order)
Grand Master is the typical title of the supreme head of various orders of knighthood, including various military orders, religious orders and civil orders such as the Ancient Order of Hibernians and the Orange Order...
of Knights Hospitaller
Knights Hospitaller
The Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta , also known as the Sovereign Military Order of Malta , Order of Malta or Knights of Malta, is a Roman Catholic lay religious order, traditionally of military, chivalrous, noble nature. It is the world's...
; in 1833–1856 Russia closed the embassies, denying legitimacy of Isabella II of Spain
Isabella II of Spain
Isabella II was the only female monarch of Spain in modern times. She came to the throne as an infant, but her succession was disputed by the Carlists, who refused to recognise a female sovereign, leading to the Carlist Wars. After a troubled reign, she was deposed in the Glorious Revolution of...
. Apart from these two conflicts, relationships were uneventful; the two countries were never engaged in direct war against each other. In 1756–1763 they were allies in the Seven Years' War
Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War was a global military war between 1756 and 1763, involving most of the great powers of the time and affecting Europe, North America, Central America, the West African coast, India, and the Philippines...
. During the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
the two countries were either allies or foes, but did not engage each other directly.
Soviet period
The Soviet UnionSoviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
established diplomatic relations with the Second Spanish Republic
Second Spanish Republic
The Second Spanish Republic was the government of Spain between April 14 1931, and its destruction by a military rebellion, led by General Francisco Franco....
on July 28, 1933. An Old Bolshevik
Old Bolshevik
Old Bolshevik , also Old Bolshevik Guard or Old Party Guard, was an unofficial designation for those who were members of the Bolshevik party before the Russian Revolution of 1917, many of whom were either tried and executed by the NKVD during Stalin era purges or died under suspicious...
, former Commissar for Education Anatoly Lunacharsky, was appointed Plenipotentiary Representative (ambassador
Ambassador
An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
) to Spain but died en route to his station, in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. His replacement, Marsel Rosenberg (1896–1938) and Consul-general
Consul (representative)
The political title Consul is used for the official representatives of the government of one state in the territory of another, normally acting to assist and protect the citizens of the consul's own country, and to facilitate trade and friendship between the peoples of the two countries...
Vladimir Antonov-Ovseenko
Vladimir Antonov-Ovseenko
Vladimir Alexandrovich Antonov-Ovseyenko , real surname Ovseyenko, party aliases the 'Bayonet' and 'Nikita' , a literary pseudonym A. Gal , was a prominent Soviet Bolshevik leader and diplomat. He was born in Chernigov into an officer's family.In 1903, Antonov-Ovseyenko joined the Menshevik party...
(1883–1938) arrived in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
in 1936, when Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
was already underway. Both were soon called back to Moscow and executed for an alleged trotskist
Trotskyism
Trotskyism is the theory of Marxism as advocated by Leon Trotsky. Trotsky considered himself an orthodox Marxist and Bolshevik-Leninist, arguing for the establishment of a vanguard party of the working-class...
conspiracy.
The Soviet Union actively supported the Republicans through the course of the Civil War with military advisers, "volunteers" and weapons supplied in exchange for Bank of Spain gold reserves later known as Moscow gold
Moscow gold
The term Moscow Gold , or alternatively, Gold of the Republic , refers to the operation by which 510 tonnes of gold, corresponding to 72.6% of the total gold reserves of the Bank of Spain, were transferred from their original location in Madrid to the Soviet Union a few months after the...
(see Foreign involvement in the Spanish Civil War
Foreign involvement in the Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil War had large numbers of non-Spanish citizens participating in combat and advisory positions. Foreign governments contributed varying amounts of financial assistance and military aid to Nationalist forces led by Generalísimo Francisco Franco and those fighting on behalf of the...
). The monument to Soviet volunteers in Madrid, inaugurated in 1989 by mayor Juan Barranco Gallardo
Juan Barranco Gallardo
Juan Antonio Gallardo Barranco is a Spanish politician in the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party. He was Mayor of Madrid following the 1986 death of Enrique Tierno Galvan, who had been Mayor since 1979.Barranco won the following municipal elections in 1987, but lost the mayoral race in June 1989...
and Soviet ambassador Sergey Romanovsky, lists 182 names of identified Soviet combatants killed during the war. With the fall of Republicans in 1939, Soviet Union severed all ties with Francoist Spain. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
the Blue Division
Blue Division
The Blue Division officially designated as División Española de Voluntarios by the Spanish Army and 250. Infanterie-Division in the German Army, was a unit of Spanish volunteers that served in the German Army on the Eastern Front of the Second World War.-Origins:Although Spanish leader Field...
of Spanish volunteers fought against the Soviets on the Eastern Front
Eastern Front (World War II)
The Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of World War II between the European Axis powers and co-belligerent Finland against the Soviet Union, Poland, and some other Allies which encompassed Northern, Southern and Eastern Europe from 22 June 1941 to 9 May 1945...
, but Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco y Bahamonde was a Spanish general, dictator and head of state of Spain from October 1936 , and de facto regent of the nominally restored Kingdom of Spain from 1947 until his death in November, 1975...
steered Spain away from direct participation in the war.
Spain's relations with the Soviets after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
were described as "the worst, though hardly the most problematic", culminating in Nikita Khrushchev
Nikita Khrushchev
Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev led the Soviet Union during part of the Cold War. He served as First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964, and as Chairman of the Council of Ministers, or Premier, from 1958 to 1964...
's speech against Franco's regime in the United Nations General Assembly
United Nations General Assembly
For two articles dealing with membership in the General Assembly, see:* General Assembly members* General Assembly observersThe United Nations General Assembly is one of the five principal organs of the United Nations and the only one in which all member nations have equal representation...
on October 1, 1960 and Franco's ban on the Spain vs. USSR game of the 1960 European Nations' Cup scheduled earlier in the same year. Soon, however, the same leaders began gradual reestablishment of contacts. In April 1963 Khrushchev and Franco exchanged letters on disarmament
Disarmament
Disarmament is the act of reducing, limiting, or abolishing weapons. Disarmament generally refers to a country's military or specific type of weaponry. Disarmament is often taken to mean total elimination of weapons of mass destruction, such as nuclear arms...
and the fate of Julián Grimau
Julián Grimau
Julián Grimau García was a Spanish Communist member.-Political activities:Initially active in the Federal Republican Party and the Republican Left, he joined the Communist Party of Spain upon the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War. Grimau spent the war years in Barcelona, where his father had been...
; in January 1964 Franco appealed to Khrushchev again. According to Soviet explanation of events, the move was initiated by the Spanish government.
Until 1969, relations were informally maintained through Soviet and Spanish embassies in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. In 1967 Spanish and Soviet representatives agreed to open their seaports to ships carrying flag of the other country; in 1969 the Soviet state-owned Black Sea Shipping Company opened an office in Madrid – the first Soviet establishment in Spain since the Civil War. This office, staffed by professional diplomats, and headed by Sergey Bogomolov, who relocated to Madrid from Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, doubled as the de facto Soviet consulate.
The two countries signed an agreement on foreign trade in 1972 and established permanent trading missions in 1973; these offices assumed and maintained consular duties. Igor Ivanov
Igor Ivanov
Igor Sergeyevich Ivanov is a Russian politician and was Russian Foreign Minister from 1998 to 2004.- Early life :...
, future foreign minister of independent Russia, has served in Madrid in 1973–1983. Finally, after Franco's death, the Soviet Union and Spain reestablished full diplomatic relations on February 9, 1977. Bogomolov assumed the title of Soviet ambassador and presented his credentials to king Juan Carlos I of Spain
Juan Carlos I of Spain
Juan Carlos I |Italy]]) is the reigning King of Spain.On 22 November 1975, two days after the death of General Francisco Franco, Juan Carlos was designated king according to the law of succession promulgated by Franco. Spain had no monarch for 38 years in 1969 when Franco named Juan Carlos as the...
on May 5, 1977. Relations of this period were not exactly friendly, marred with mutual expulsion
Persona non grata
Persona non grata , literally meaning "an unwelcome person", is a legal term used in diplomacy that indicates a proscription against a person entering the country...
of alleged spies operating under diplomatic immunity
Diplomatic immunity
Diplomatic immunity is a form of legal immunity and a policy held between governments that ensures that diplomats are given safe passage and are considered not susceptible to lawsuit or prosecution under the host country's laws...
; things got worse when Spain was admitted into NATO in 1981, an act regarded by the USSR as a "violation of Soviet interests".
After Bogomolov moved up to a senior position in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1978, he was replaced by Yuri Dubinin, who steered Soviet policy in Spain through the last phase of the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
, until 1986. Dubinin actively promoted the idea of a state visit by Juan Carlos to Moscow; only after five years of preparations did Andrei Gromyko
Andrei Gromyko
Andrei Andreyevich Gromyko was a Soviet statesman during the Cold War. He served as Minister of Foreign Affairs and as Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet . Gromyko was responsible for many top decisions on Soviet foreign policy until he retired in 1987. In the West he was given the...
approve the visit that materialized in May 1984. Alexander Igorevich Kuznetsov, current (2009, appointed in June 2005) Russian ambassador to Spain and Andorra
Andorra
Andorra , officially the Principality of Andorra , also called the Principality of the Valleys of Andorra, , is a small landlocked country in southwestern Europe, located in the eastern Pyrenees mountains and bordered by Spain and France. It is the sixth smallest nation in Europe having an area of...
, has served in Madrid under Dubinin in 1982–1986.
The Embassy of Russia in Madrid, inherited from the Soviet Union, was built in 1986–1991. The land lot at 155, Calle de Velasquez, was provided to the Soviets in 1980, but was loaded with zoning
Zoning
Zoning is a device of land use planning used by local governments in most developed countries. The word is derived from the practice of designating permitted uses of land based on mapped zones which separate one set of land uses from another...
regulations limiting building height to 6 meters, presence of Spanish military cables running underground and a gypsy squat town
Squatting
Squatting consists of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied space or building, usually residential, that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have permission to use....
sprawling above – these obstacles held off construction for years. The building was initially designed by painter Ilya Glazunov
Ilya Glazunov
Ilya Glazunov , contemporary Russian artist from Saint Petersburg, born in 1930. He holds the title of People's Artist of Russia, and serves as a rector at the Fine Arts Academy in Moscow...
; Glazunov later contributed interior design, building structure was redesigned by architect Anatoly Polikarpov.
Post-Soviet Russia
Spain established diplomatic relations with the independent Russian FederationRussia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
on December 9, 1991. Igor Ivanov
Igor Ivanov
Igor Sergeyevich Ivanov is a Russian politician and was Russian Foreign Minister from 1998 to 2004.- Early life :...
, a veteran of the Soviet embassy in Madrid, was appointed Ambassador of Russia to Spain and served in Madrid until 1994. In April 1994 president Boris Yeltsin
Boris Yeltsin
Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin was the first President of the Russian Federation, serving from 1991 to 1999.Originally a supporter of Mikhail Gorbachev, Yeltsin emerged under the perestroika reforms as one of Gorbachev's most powerful political opponents. On 29 May 1990 he was elected the chairman of...
became the first Russian head of state to pay a state visit to Spain. Juan Carlos visited Russia in 2002, 2006 and 2008. Two months after the informal 2006 visit, media reported that the king shot a sedated, domesticated bear (a common treat for high-ranking guests at Russian hunting reserves). The king's spokeswoman and Russian authorities denied the fact.
Spain's share in Russian foreign trade in early 2000s hovered at just above 1% of Russian exports (dominated by oil and raw materials); Spanish exports to Russia were significantly lower (2001: 488 million US dollars vs. 890 million). In 2008, according to Dmitry Medvedev
Dmitry Medvedev
Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev is the third President of the Russian Federation.Born to a family of academics, Medvedev graduated from the Law Department of Leningrad State University in 1987. He defended his dissertation in 1990 and worked as a docent at his alma mater, now renamed to Saint...
, foreign trade levelled at 2 billion Euro
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
(less than 1% of either country's foreign trade) while that between Russia and other countries comparable to Spain is measured in tens of billion euro. Spain's share in foreign direct investment
Foreign direct investment
Foreign direct investment or foreign investment refers to the net inflows of investment to acquire a lasting management interest in an enterprise operating in an economy other than that of the investor.. It is the sum of equity capital,other long-term capital, and short-term capital as shown in...
to Russian economy remains insignificant, the largest investment (as at 2003), at 319 million US dollars, has been made by Segura Consulting.
In December 2000 the relations were strained by Spain' refusal to extradite
Extradition
Extradition is the official process whereby one nation or state surrenders a suspected or convicted criminal to another nation or state. Between nation states, extradition is regulated by treaties...
fugitive banker and media executive Vladimir Gusinsky
Vladimir Gusinsky
Vladimir Aleksandrovich Gusinsky is a Russian media baron, is known as the founder of Media-Most holding that included Most Bank, the NTV channel, the newspaper Segodnya and magazines.-Life and career:Gusinsky was born in Moscow....
. Gusinsky, arrested and released in Spain, emigrated to Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
in April 2001.
During the most recent state visit of Russian president Dmitry Medvedev
Dmitry Medvedev
Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev is the third President of the Russian Federation.Born to a family of academics, Medvedev graduated from the Law Department of Leningrad State University in 1987. He defended his dissertation in 1990 and worked as a docent at his alma mater, now renamed to Saint...
to Spain, in March 2009, two countries signed an energy agreement giving Spanish companies greater access to Russian fossil fuels in exchange to easing Spanish regulations regarding purchase of Spanish energy companies by Russian businesses. According to Spanish prime minister Zapatero
José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero
José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero is a member of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party . He was elected for two terms as Prime Minister of Spain, in the 2004 and 2008 general elections. On 2 April 2011 he announced he will not stand for re-election in 2012...
, "The memorandum means greater security in Spain's energy supplies and it guarantees better access for our companies to Russian energy reserves". The memorandum was followed by an agreement between Gazprom
Gazprom
Open Joint Stock Company Gazprom is the largest extractor of natural gas in the world and the largest Russian company. Its headquarters are in Cheryomushki District, South-Western Administrative Okrug, Moscow...
and Gas Natural
Gas Natural
Gas Natural SDG, S.A., trading as Gas Natural Fenosa, is an energy company which operates primarily in Spain but also in such countries as Italy, Mexico, Colombia, Argentina, Puerto Rico and Morocco...
that gives the Spanish side access to Gazprom's export pipelines and, potentially, Shtokman gas field
Shtokman field
The Shtokman field , one of the world's largest natural gas fields, lies in the central part of Russian sector of the Barents Sea, north of Kola Peninsula. Its reserves are estimated at of natural gas and more than 37 million tons of gas condensate.-History:The Shtokman field was discovered...
output, in exchange for a stake in Spanish electric utilities.