The Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, José Manuel Albares, held a meeting on Tuesday 29 April with the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Human Mobility of the Republic of Ecuador, Gabriela Sommerfeld, during the visit of the country's President, Daniel Noboa, to Spain.
Albares, who took advantage of the meeting to congratulate his counterpart on her confirmation as Minister of Foreign Affairs, hoped that this new mandate of the Ecuadorian Government would allow Ecuador to move forward with the reforms that her country needs, while reaffirming Spain's full support.
The Minister also expressed his hope that Spain and Ecuador will strengthen a solid relationship, based on very close historical, human and economic ties, and reinforce the bilateral agenda with a modern, inclusive and sustainable development-oriented approach during this new era.
After noting that Spain is the second largest foreign investor in Ecuador and its leading trading partner within the European Union, Minister Albares hoped to continue strengthening economic ties, favouring a predictable environment for investment and trade, tapping into the potential of the agreements with the European Union.
In terms of development cooperation, Albares reiterated Spain's desire to continue being a committed partner in Ecuador's institutional and social development. In this regard, he specified that through both the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation and our technical cooperation, including the FIAP, we can continue to support their priorities in key areas such as justice, ecological transition, security and social cohesion.
‘Financing for Development Summit’
In the same vein, Albares extended a formal invitation from the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, to Daniel Noboa to participate in the next International Conference on Financing for Development, which will take place in Seville from 30 June to 3 July. He did so after arguing that this is a key meeting to discuss the reform of the international financial architecture and to mobilise resources for development.
The Minister also thanked Ecuador for its efforts in organising the last Ibero-American Summit in Cuenca and noted that Spain is already working on the preparation of the next Summit in 2026, and hoped to count on Ecuador's support and participation.
For images of the event, please click here
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NON OFFICIAL TRANSLATION