Mariano Rajoy says all his decisions were aimed at "preserving the general interest"

Moncloa Palace, Madrid

Regarding the Syrian refugees trying to reach Europe, Mariano Rajoy acknowledged that "they enjoy the same asylum rights as any other refugee from any other country". He explained that he fought at the EU meetings to preserve the right to asylum because not only is this "synonymous" with "civilisation" but it is also enshrined in European history.

After recalling that some 20,000 people requested asylum in Spain in 2015, the President of the Government explained that the EU is trying to resolve a "very complicated" problem: convincing refugees to spread out to all EU countries in order that "we can all help them in a manner based on solidarity".

The most serious issue, the war in Syria

Pool Moncloa/Diego CrespoNonetheless, the President of the Government admitted that "few refugees have arrived" in Spain or indeed to other EU countries and that the situation of refugees at camps such as Idomeni "is dreadful". "It's infuriating", he explained, but decisions taken by the European Union are unfortunately not taken as quickly as I would like".

He went on to add that "I hope this situation can be resolved now, with the aid being sent to Greece, and resolved as quickly as possible because it is undoubtedly an issue of the utmost importance. However, I think the most serious issue is the actual war in Syria, which has now been raging for five years".

As regards the conflict in Syria, the President of the Government said he would indeed be willing to send troops to the country "if Parliament accepts the idea". To clarify, he recalled that Spanish military personnel are already in such locations as Iraq, Afghanistan, Turkey and Mali.

The great coalition

After pointing out that this is the longest legislature since 1977, Mariano Rajoy said that his position remains unchanged from that which he expressed on the day after the elections; "the great coalition", the same model as that in place in such other countries as Germany, Austria and Slovakia, as well as the European institutions themselves.

He added that a political pact of this nature would send "a message of calm, security and stability, and would allow us to concentrate on consolidating the economic recovery". He believes that any other alternative presents "difficulties" because they would need the support of many parties, which would convert Spain "into an entirely ungovernable country".

The President of the Government stressed that, over the last four years, "we have fought very hard because Spain has experienced its worst economic crisis in decades". He said this required "tough and complicated" decisions to be taken, but that they were always aimed at "preserving the general interest".

Combating corruption

As regards corruption, Mariano Rajoy said it is one of the great challenges for the future. He believes it is now time for political parties to take this issue seriously, to reach an agreement that would allow "greater efficiency in the fight against corruption".

However, he asked people not to generalise in this regard because, although a large number of cases have indeed come to light, the "vast majority" of people have no ties to corruption whatsoever. "We must fight it and be belligerent against it, but the vast majority of people - people, I mean, not politicians - are decent folk", he said.

Furthermore, he asked for action to be taken in a "fair, global and balanced" manner. "Firm action against corrupt individuals, absolutely, but we must try to be fair with those who are not corrupt", he said. In this regard, he stressed that the presumption of innocence cannot be replaced with the "presumption of guilt".

Two million jobs in the legislature

When asked about Catalonia, the President of the Government sPool Moncloa/Diego Crespoaid he has done "what needed to be done"; in other words, "defend the unity of Spain, national sovereignty and equality among Spaniards". In his opinion, "it is my duty, it is what I think and what I believe the vast majority of Spaniards think".

Furthermore, Mariano Rajoy asked people to disseminate "the genuine truth about what Spain is": "a great nation", "one of the best countries in the world", with a magnificent public pension and healthcare system, and excellent public education. He stressed that 65 million tourists visited Spain in 2015 and that Spain is the European country chosen by the highest number of Erasmus students. "There must be a reason for this", he said.

Finally, he said that two million jobs can be created in this legislature if the pace of job creation seen in 2014 and 2015 is maintained. In this regard, he said that success lies in developing Vocational Training and Dual Vocational Training, in research and in science. "We must work to maintain our magnificent Welfare State, pensions, healthcare, social services. That requires a great deal of hard work and effort", he said.