Austria-Hungary could only turn its attention to another ally, one that was already implementing reforms: Spain.
Although Spain was also an extremely weakened empire, the current reforms had revitalized Spain, and it was not too much to call it a strong European nation.
With Germany not directly supporting Austria-Hungary, the most reliable ally for Austria-Hungary was Spain.
Of course, Austria-Hungary's hope to maintain the status quo in the Balkans was definitely not placed solely on Spain. The main point was that the British did not wish to see Russia expanding its sphere of influence in the Balkan Peninsula, nor did they want to see the Russians controlling Constantinople and the straits.
After the Austrian-Hungarian diplomatic envoy contacted the Spanish Government, the Cabinet urgently convened a meeting and invited Carlo to attend.
