The Diplomat in Spain

The King after visiting the Cathedral of La Antigua. / Photo: © Casa de S.M. el Rey

The Diplomat.. 16/11/2018

The King and the President of the Government attend yesterday the XXVI Ibero-American Summit of Heads of State and Government in the city of La Antigua de Guatemala.

Felipe VI arrived in Guatemala on Wednesday, accompanied by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, Josep Borrell, from his State trip to Peru.

The monarch began the day yesterday at the Hotel Museum Casa Santo Domingo, where he held bilateral meetings with the president of Guatemala and host of the summit, Jimmy Morales; and with the president of Paraguay, Mario Abdo. Later, Don Felipe moved to the Hotel Camino Real, where he had lunch with the President of Mexico, Enrique Peña Nieto, and the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez.

Next, the King attended the presentation of the Ibero-American Program on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and in the afternoon attended the closing ceremony of the XII Ibero-American Business Meeting. The day concluded with an official dinner hosted by the President of Guatemala in honor of the Heads of State and Government attending the Summit.

Felipe VI began his activities today (early in the morning in Spain) with a working breakfast offered to the presidents of the Central American countries and later, after the official photograph of the Summit in the Main Square of La Antigua, he went to the Convention Center, where the first session of the XXVI Summit is celebrated.

For his part, Pedro Sánchez also held bilateral meetings with Jimmy Morales and Mario Abdo, with whom he addressed the migration crisis in the region and analyzed the prospects of the future presidency of Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil, the economic crisis in Argentina and the situation of Venezuela and Nicaragua.

Likewise, Josep Borrell held a meeting with his Ibero-American counterparts, whom he urged to support multilateralism and avoid political polarization in a world that “seems to slip into the 1930s”, since, “even if there are no big expansionist intentions, there is revenge airs, protectionist tensions and attacks on the United Nations”.