The Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, José Manuel Albares, chaired the first extraordinary meeting of the Ibero-American Community on Tuesday, 1 July, where he unveiled the 'Roadmap' that includes the ministerial meetings, forums and gatherings leading up to the Madrid Summit in 2026, a year that marks the 35th anniversary of the Ibero-American Summit system.
Albares recalled the importance of strengthening the ministerial meetings as the body that politically orients the Ibero-American Community, and took advantage of the event in Seville as an opportunity to promote shared leaderships to meet the challenges facing society in the 21st century.
He also stressed the role of the Ibero-American Community as a privileged forum for political dialogue, political agreement, solidarity and cooperation based on shared historical and cultural affinities.
Against this backdrop, the Ibero-American Secretary-General, Andrés Allamand, and the Ibero-American representatives adopted by consensus the Seville Declaration, which emphasises the need to reaffirm the Summit system and the importance of a more strategic and concerted planning of Ibero-American cooperation based on the principles of inclusive participation, horizontality among its members and consensus in decision-making. The commitment to bilingualism (Spanish and Portuguese) as a factor of cohesion and identity for the Community was also underscored.
During the meeting, the document of the Spanish pro tempore Secretariat was also presented, which includes the thematic priorities for the current period and gives a fresh impetus to the Ibero-American environmental agenda, the principles and rights in digital environments and the mainstreaming of bilingualism, as well as the application of artificial intelligence in the Ibero-American space.
The representatives agreed on the need to foster closer ties with the Caribbean countries and the European Union and to reflect on the role of the Associate and Consultative Observers in the Summit system.
To consult the Joint Declaration, click here
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To view pictures of the meeting, click here.
—NON OFFICIAL TRANSLATION—