Buenas tardes.
Bona tarda.
Boas tardes.
Arratsalde on.
Good afternoon.
Wina kuché.
Your Excellency the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.
Excellencies Ministers and authorities.
Dear colleagues and members of the diplomatic and consular corps.
Queridos amigos españoles, queridas amigas españolas.
Dear Sierra Leonean friends.
Following my appointment as Ambassador of Spain to Sierra Leone on April this year, I made my first official trip to the country between June and July. My main purpose was to present my credentials to the President, Julius Maada Bio -which I did on July 4th at the State House in Freetown-, as well as to hold meetings with members of the Government, the Diplomatic and the Spanish communities and to visit the main projects related to Spain in the country.
As a part of my programme, I offered a reception in this same hotel to the Spanish community in Sierra Leone and I was surprised to learn that a reception had never before been held here in Freetown on the occasion of the National Day of Spain. One of the commitments I made that day was to increase the usual frequency of trips made to the country by this Ambassador throughout my mission so to maintain permanent contacts with the aforementioned authorities, give continuity to the initiatives explored and keep contact with the active and dynamic Spanish community resident in Sierra Leone. I am thus happy to have been able to honour my word only three months later. This has been a long due and that is why we are here today.
As you might be aware, the Embassy of Spain in Guinea is accredited since 2019 to Sierra Leone, where we have an Honorary Consulate in Freetown, led by our friend Antoine Yazbeck. Thank you, Antoine, for having organized this reception in coordination with our Deputy Head of Mission, Carlos García Ojea. Both of them are doing a great job providing consular assistance to our community in this country and I want to seize this opportunity to sincerely thank them for their dedication and reiterate to our nationals that they are available to help whenever necessary.
I cannot start my speech without referring to the situation in the Middle East. In the south, the Palestinian people are suffering an unbearable humanitarian tragedy, a spiral of death and devastation that has already spread to Lebanon, affecting women and children in particular. Spain is firmly committed to the implementation of a two-State solution, respect of international law, including international humanitarian law, the protection of civilians, an end to the war and the prevention of its regional escalation and spread. We make an urgent appeal for an immediate ceasefire, the release of the hostages, the authorisation of the delivery of humanitarian aid and the implementation of peace and stability in the region.
Spain's conduct is based on a fundamental principle: consistency. This principle leads us to say the same thing for Gaza and for Ukraine, where, since February 2022, we have witnessed an aggression against the Ukrainian people and the entire international community. Fundamental values, such as respect for the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of all countries are non-negotiable, and any solution that validates violence will not be sustainable. We have no double standards and we remain clear in our words and actions in defence of a rules-based international order and not of the law of the strongest.
In this context, multilateral cooperation should be key in our relation with Sierra Leone. We firmly believe that global and security affairs must be tackled in a coordinated manner and we are committed to multilateralism as the most effective method to do it. This is why we supported the candidacy of Sierra Leone to become a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council in 2024 and 2025. We are glad to witness our Sierra Leonean friends raising the African voice in its debates and we congratulate them for having assumed the Presidency of the Council, for the first time in the history of the country, during the month of August.
I also want to clearly emphasize Spain's commitment to Human Rights and, in particular, to the effective equality between women and men and to the protection and promotion of the rights of women and girls. Spain welcomes the advances made by Sierra Leone in the last months and I guarantee the full cooperation of our country to accompany its progress in these areas, especially given that Spain has been elected as a member of the Human Rights Council for 2025-2027.
In the bilateral field, Spain is determined to reinforce relations with Sierra Leone and to contribute to the stability and to the sustainable development of the country. We have always supported Sierra Leone, even during the worst of times, such as the Ebola crisis between 2014 and 2016, and we hope to strengthen our common history in the years to come. Spain is committed to the West African region, with which we have important geographical, human and commercial ties and that is given a priority position in the new Spain-Africa Strategy. In this framework, our relations with Sierra Leone, traditionally limited, should be extended to various areas, such as commercial exchanges, the presence of Spanish companies in the country and the sustainable tourism sector.
Sierra Leone has considerable potential in the latter field, where Spain offers added value and can provide with its global leadership and expertise. Sierra Leone has participated in the last three editions of FITUR, the international tourism fair that is held annually in Madrid, and I want to encourage redoubling our efforts to establish permanent bilateral collaboration channels.
In the area of logistics, the competitive advantage of Spain must be highlighted. We have direct maritime communication lines to Freetown from several ports, which are used by shipping companies. These connections can be a useful lever for developing our trade relations in the future.
Regarding migration, I firmly assure Spain's willingness to collaborate with Sierra Leone in the fight against human trafficking and to achieve better coordination in order to establish channels for safe, orderly and regular migration.
Finally, Spain should start to be a well-known country in Sierra Leone. Therefore, cultural cooperation and public diplomacy will be prioritized during my mission, with an approach aimed at increasing knowledge of Spain, increasing our presence, enhancing our image and solidifying our reputation in the country, as well as promoting the teaching of the Spanish language. This is why tomorrow, in the framework of our National Day, we will offer a theatre play in this hotel, directed by the Spanish national Carlos Velázquez. We invite you all to take part in this event, carried out with Sierra Leonean artists, wishing and hoping that you all will enjoy it.
Para finalizar, quiero saludar y agradecer a la comunidad española residente en Sierra Leona su compromiso y su entusiasmo con el desarrollo del país. Se trata de una colonia activa y heterogénea, pero cuyos miembros comparten su voluntad de contribuir a este noble fin representando las mejores cualidades que caracterizan a nuestra ciudadanía: la solidaridad, la humanidad y la empatía. Gracias a todos y a todas por ser Embajadores y Embajadoras de España en Sierra Leona. Estamos a vuestra disposición siempre.
Thank you all for your welcome and for the start of a new and prosperous stage in the friendship between Spain and Sierra Leone.
Gracias.
Gràcies.
Grazas.
Eskerrik asko.
Thank you.
Tenki.