The Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, José Manuel Albares, met today with the Ibero-American ambassadors accredited in our country to explain the objectives of the Madrid Summit, from which Spain wants to achieve tangible results for its citizens. Andrés Allamand, Ibero-American Secretary General, also participated in the meeting, held at the Palacio de Viana.
The Ibero-American Summit organised by Spain, which currently holds the Pro Tempore Secretariat, will take place in the Spanish capital on 4 and 5 November under the slogan: ‘Ibero-America. Together we build our Community. Together we project it towards the future and towards the world’.
The minister told the ambassadors that, in a challenging and complex international context, the Ibero-American framework allows us to tackle current challenges in a coordinated manner. In this regard, Albares emphasised the essence of the Ibero-American Community as ‘a forum for consultation and political dialogue in which what unites us is above our differences’.
Tangible results
According to the minister, the Spanish Pro Tempore Secretariat has set itself the goal of achieving tangible results within the framework of the Madrid Summit.
So far, with the help of the other Ibero-American countries, this focus on results has been possible, and work has been carried out in line with the objectives set out in the Seville Declaration. Albares highlighted as an example the ministerial meeting on tourism, at which a declaration was approved with a view to adopting the ‘Strategy for Sustainable Tourism in Ibero-America: Promoting Responsible Tourism’, which will take the form of an Ibero-American Tourism Agenda.
International projection
In addition, Spain wants to strengthen and deepen its relationship with Associate and Consultative Observers, build closer ties with other regions, particularly the Caribbean, and approve common positions. In this regard, since the beginning of the Spanish Pro Tempore Secretariat, three positions have been approved: one on development metrics, one on Haiti, and one on the election of the next United Nations Secretary-General, advocating that the position be filled by a national from Latin America or the Caribbean.
The minister also took the opportunity to reiterate Spain's desire to promote Spanish-Portuguese bilingualism, a distinctive feature of Ibero-America that constitutes a common heritage, in a context of linguistic diversity of extraordinary value, generating cohesion and identity.
For images of the event, click here
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