The King presides over the extraordinary meeting of the National Security Council

This Tuesday morning, the King will preside over the extraordinary meeting of the National Security Council (NSC) at Moncloa Palace due to the massive blackout in Spain. This will be the first time the head of state has presided over a meeting at the headquarters of the Prime Minister, a decision taken jointly with Pedro Sánchez to "facilitate the Council's operations given the special circumstances that make it necessary."

Last Thursday, the King chaired a meeting of that organization at the Zarzuela Palace, where it was approved to "initiate the strategic review process given the changes experienced in the international landscape."

The National Security Council (CSN) meets at the initiative of the President of the Government at least every two months or as often as deemed necessary, and also when circumstances affecting National Security require it. At least once a year, the Council meets at the Zarzuela Palace under the presidency of the King.

The King and Queen suspend their official visit to Jaén

The King and Queen have canceled their planned visit to Jaén this Tuesday to commemorate the 1,200th anniversary of its declaration as a city due to the extraordinary circumstances caused by the blackout that has affected all of Spain. The Zarzuela Palace will reschedule the events scheduled for a later date.

The visit of the King and Queen to the Andalusian city was part of the celebrations commemorating the moment when Emir Abd al-Rahman II declared Jaén the capital of the Islamic cora of Yayyan, thereby granting it the power to become a political, cultural, and social center since 825.

Felipe and Letizia had planned to visit the city, hold a meeting with the Municipal Corporation, and then travel to the Palace of Constable Iranzo, also known as the Palace House of Constable Don Miguel Lucas de Iranzo, a Mudejar-style building, and the Arab Baths Cultural Center, the main cultural and museum center in Andalusia.

The blackout also affected the Zarzuela Palace, where for several hours work was being done using a power generation system to provide minimum services in emergency situations. The King held his audience with the President of Ecuador, Daniel Noboa, who is on a working visit to Spain and with whom he met last Saturday at the funeral of Pope Francis.

The King then had lunch with the resident of the Republic of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides, also on a working visit to Spain. 2027 will mark the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Spain and Cyprus.