Santo Domingo, March 24 (EFE). – The King of Spain, Felipe VI, encouraged this Friday to “continue to strengthen” relations between the Ibero-American states “to take advantage of all the opportunities together” offered by this space, “a great project that requires a common strategic vision and greater commitment from all”.
The Spanish Sovereign took part in the 14th Ibero-American business meeting, which took place today within the framework of the 28th Summit of Ibero-American Heads of State and Government in Santo Domingo.
In his speech, the King of Spain referred to the challenges facing the region “which justify, if possible, the need for this type of meeting to share the concerns that affect our societies and thus seek recommendations that lead us to implement joint actions. .
For this reason, he encouraged overcoming “potential structural differences” between countries and uniting efforts to promote a “more sustainable” Ibero-America.
Four challenges of sustainability
Sustainability based on four challenges, the first investment, which requires stable, predictable and competitive environments; So is tourism, whose recovery was a “special challenge” for the entire region, as it plays a fundamental role in the development and growth of its economy.
According to the Spanish monarch, another challenge is connectivity and digital transformation, which the pandemic has described as one of the “primary levers” for accelerating the transition towards a circular economy.
He also mentioned the need to promote an open multilateral trade system based on “comprehensive and fair” rules, and support the removal of unnecessary barriers to international trade to promote economic recovery.
Spanish presidency of the EU summit and CELAC
To face these challenges, the King of Spain stressed the importance of the Spanish presidency of the European Union in the second half of the year.
“From Spain, intense work is being done so that the Ibero-American region has a fundamental role. The two regions can and must increase their economic ties, both commercial and investment, to meet the challenges in a more effective and efficient way,” he said.
In this regard, he also highlighted the holding of a summit of the European Union and the Group of Latin American and Caribbean States, in July in Brussels, “where a set of strategic investment projects will be presented to the region that will be supported by the European Union and its member states.”
In addition, among the priorities of the Spanish presidency of the European Union, he indicated the support and greater impetus for the signing of the pending bilateral agreements aimed at liberalizing trade and creating a framework for strategic relations between the European Union and Latin America.
Among these agreements, the Spanish king noted the universal agreement with Mexico and the partnership agreement with Chile with Central America and with Mercosur.
He noted that “the historical, cultural, linguistic and economic relations that unite Spain with Latin America, along with the large presence of Spanish companies in this region are sufficient arguments to justify the need to promote and strengthen these bilateral relations.”
The intervention at the 14th Ibero-American Business Meeting was the central action in Philip VI’s agenda on the first day of the Ibero-American Summit, where he held bilateral meetings with the President of Uruguay, Luis Lacalle Poe, and the President of the Republic of Uruguay. Dominican Republic, Luis Abenader.
He also met with young Ibero-American leaders and gave his support to the Ibero-American disability program, an act in which he was accompanied by Lacalle Poe and Portuguese President Marcelo Ribeiro de Sousa.
After the official opening of the Summit in Castle Ozama – the first permanent military structure in the Americas – the day will close with a dinner for Heads of State and Government at the Casa de Bastidas, in the Colonial Zone of Santo Domingo, a historic building whose construction dates back to the 15th century.
Tomorrow, Saturday, the Spanish monarch is scheduled to hold, after the plenary sessions and the official conclusion of the summit, a bilateral meeting with the President of Costa Rica, Rodrigo Chaves, before returning to Spain.
This is the fifth Ibero-American summit in which Felipe VI participates as king.
