The general foreign policy objectives during the two governments of Adolfo Suarez, in both of which Marcelino Oreja occupied the post of Foreign Minister, consisted in normalizing international relations and bringing Spain into line with the democracies of Western Europe. The consensus reached functioned perfectly in the attainment of these two goals; notable is the role, normally filled by a state politician, played by King Juan Carlos, who, with an intense international agenda contributed decisively to the success of foreign policy.

Diplomatic relations were established with all the nations of the world excepto Israel, Albania and North Korea, and diplomatic relations were normalized with the socialist countries, including the Societ Union on 9 February 1977 and with Mexico on 28 March 1977, which had traditionally maintained a posture of solidarity with republican Spain and its government in exile. The traditional relations with Latin America were also reformulated; the rhetoric of the past was replaced by viable options for cooperation. Significant steps in this process were, for example, the replacement of the Institute of Hispanoamerican Culture by the Institute for Iberoamerican Cooperation.

International commitments in the sphere of human rights were formally assumed at the level of the United Nations as well as within the Council of Europe. On 28 September 1976, the International Treaties on Civil and Political Rights and on Economic and Cultural Rights were signed, which came into being in 1977, and, at the end of this year, Spain became a member of the Council of Europe and signed the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Basic Liberties.

On 28 July 1977, Spain presented its formal application for membership to the European Communities, receiving a favourable reply from the Community's Council of Ministers in September of the same year.

The rapid and progressive incorporation of the country into the internationsl community was possible thanks to the advances made towards the foundation of a democratic constitutional system and was extremely beneficial to the policy of consensus agreed to by the principal political groups, which permitted them to sidestep potentially conflictive questions. For the first time in many years, foreign and internal policy were advancing hand in hand, mutually supportive in the affirmation of Spanish interests.

The process of Spain's adhesion to the principal international juridical instruments for the protection of human rights followed the approval of the new Constitution in December 1978. Notable in this sphere was the ratification, in April 1980, of the European Social Charter and the Declareation of June 1980 recognizing the competence of the European Commission of Human Rights to transact individual demands. The rupture of the consensus in foreign affairs policy came about as a result of Marcelino Oreja's announcement, on 15 June 1980, of the Government's plan to open negotiations for Spain's adhesion to NATO. This rupture did not take place at the most opportune moment, since the governing party, UCD, had entered a process of internal crisis which would end in its demise. The replacement of Marcelino Oreja and Jose Perez Llorca, at the end of 1980, and the resignation of P.M. Suarez, in January 1981, were evidence of the acknowledged instability of the centrist government. The new cabinet, presided by Leopoldo Calvo Sotelo, was marked in its first moments by the attempted coup d'etat of 23 February 1981, and by its new direction of foreign policy, which was to accelerate Spain's integration into NATO in a context of internal complexity, characterized by feeble partliamentary support, adverse public opinion and a party in the final stages of deterioration.

In these same circumstances, the difficult negotiations for the renewal of the 1976 agreement with the United States were opened, which were seen as profoundly conditioned by the process of Spain's incorporation in NATO. After several fruitless negotiation sessions both the Spanish and American governments decides, in Septiember 1981, to extend the Agreement for 8 months, leaving its renewal frozen until the conclusion of Spain's adhesion to NATO, which came about on 29 May 1982. On 2 July the new Agreement of Friendship, Defense and Cooperation was signed, but its ratification was postponed until April 1983, after the new Government formed by Felipe Gonzalez, leader of the Socialist Party which was victorious in the general elections of October 1982, negotiated and signed an additional protocol to the Agreement with the United States.