The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation (MAEUEC) is a department of the Government of Spain in charge of planning, managing, carrying out and evaluating the country's foreign and international cooperation for development policies, paying special attention to the ones in relation to the European Union and Ibero-America, as well as coordinating and supervising all actions done in this areas by the other Ministries and Public Administrations. Likewise, it is responsible for promoting international economic, cultural and scientific relationships, taking part in the proposal and application of the migration policy, promoting cross-border and interterritorial cooperation, protecting Spaniards abroad and preparing, negotiating and processing the international treaties which Spain is part of. The Foreign Ministry is the nationwide department who oversees the Foreign Action of the Spanish regions and other administrations as well as overseeing the Foreign Action of the constitutional bodies. In this sense, from the Ministry depends the State Foreign Service, the set of individuals, bodies and institutions with competence in foreign matters. The Foreign Service is composed for more than 215 diplomatic missions around the world, including embassies, consulates, and other facilities. Not including the 48 cooperation units of the AECID and the 87 Cervantes Institute centers. The MAEUEC, created in 1714, is headed by the Foreign Minister, who is appointed by the Monarch at request of the Prime Minister. The minister is assisted by five main officials, the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, the Secretary of State for the European Union, the Secretary of State for International Cooperation, the Secretary of State for Ibero-America and the Under Secretary of Foreign Affairs. The current Foreign Minister is Mr. José Manuel Albares, former Spanish ambassador to France. As of 2019, Spain had 215 diplomatic posts worldwide. Of these, 115 were embassies, 89 consulates and 11 other types of diplomatic representations, not counting the 48 cooperation units of the AECID or the 87 centers of the Cervantes Institute. History Early period Diplomacy was born with the first Nation-States, being Spain one of the oldest Nation-States that continues to exist today. The first diplomatic relations of Spain as a unified entity began to be carried out with the Catholic Monarchs, but strengthened by Charles I and Philip II because of the need to protect the interests of the Empire. International relations are born with the Peace of Westphalia in 1648, which, in addition to supposing the end of