INTERVENCIÓN DEL EMBAJADOR
Following my appointment as Ambassador of Spain to Sierra Leone on April 23, I have made my first official trip to the country between June 28 and July 5.
The main purpose of this trip has been to present my credentials to the President, Julius Maada Bio, 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 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.
On July 4, I presented my credentials to President Bio at the State House in Freetown, where we had an amicable meeting from which the following elements are noteworthy:
- I expressed Spain's determination to reinforce its relation with Sierra Leone and to contribute to the stability and to the sustainable development of the country. I also underlined our commitment to the West African region, with which we have important geographical, human and commercial ties and which will be given a priority position in the new Spain-Africa Strategy.
- We agreed that our relation, traditionally limited, should be extended to various areas, particularly with regard to commercial exchanges, the presence of Spanish companies in the country and the sustainable tourism sector.
- We agreed that Sierra Leone has considerable potential in the latter field, where Spain offers added value and can provide with its global leadership and expertise. I reminded that Sierra Leone has participated in the last three editions of FITUR, the international tourism fair that is held annually in Madrid, and I encouraged redoubling our efforts to establish permanent bilateral collaboration channels.
- In the area of logistics, I highlighted the competitive advantage of Spain. We have a direct maritime communication line to Freetown from several ports, which is used by shipping companies. This connection can be a useful lever for developing our trade relations in the future.
- Regarding migration and security, I assured of 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.
- I emphasized Spain's commitment to Human Rights and, in particular, to effective equality between women and men and to the protection and promotion of the rights of women and girls. I welcomed the advances made by Sierra Leone in the last months and I guaranteed the full cooperation of our country to accompany its progress in these areas.
- Finally, I emphasized the priority that cultural cooperation and public diplomacy will have during my mission, with an approach aimed at increasing knowledge of Spain, promoting our image, our reputation and our presence in the country, as well as the teaching of our language. Spain should start to be a well-known country in Sierra Leone.
In short, this has been a fruitful first visit to Sierra Leone, during which, in addition to presenting my credentials to President Bio, I have been able to see at first hand both the collaboration potential in various fields and the willingness of the national authorities to energize our bilateral relations.
Throughout my mission, I intend to increase the usual frequency of trips made to the country by this Head of Mission so that I can maintain permanent contacts with the aforementioned authorities and give continuity to the initiatives explored.
Plenti tenki.
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