MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Rajoy speaks to Trump and offers to act as a link with Latin American countries

Both leaders discussed shared priorities on security, economics with Trump emphasizing on the importance of all NATO allies sharing the burden of defense

United States President Donald Trump has expressed his commitment to NATO and bilateral cooperation with Spain during a telephone call with Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, a media report said on Wednesday. They also discussed the fight against the terrorist group Islamic State (IS), and Spain's role as potential bridge with Latin American countries and Europe.

 Trump and Rajoy spoke on Tuesday for about 15 minutes to reaffirm their strong bilateral alliance regarding a series of mutual interests, according to a White House statement. The statement said both leaders discussed shared priorities on security, economics; with Trump emphasizing on the importance of all NATO allies sharing the burden of defense spending.

The Spanish government previously reported the content of the call, which began around 3.45 p.m. in Washington DC.

According to Rajoy's office, the Prime Minister told Trump that Spain was in the best situation to be an interlocutor for the US in Europe, Latin America, North Africa and the Middle East.

When Trump brought up the future of the European Union in light of Brexit, Rajoy said he was confident of a strong EU integration in the coming months and assured Trump that Spain would work towards that end.

Rajoy and Trump also discussed the upcoming North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit in May in Brussels, which will be their first personal encounter.