The Diplomat
King Philip VI toasted yesterday, during the State visit of the President of Italy, Sergio Mattarella, for “greater understanding and closer cooperation” between the two countries to achieve “a more united, democratic and prosperous Europe”.
The official day of the Italian president began at the Royal Palace, where he was received together with his wife, Laura Mattarella, by the King and Queen of Spain. The meeting was attended, on the Spanish side, by the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, among other authorities, while Mattarella was accompanied by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Luigi Di Maio.
After a bilateral meeting between Philip VI and the President of the Italian Republic at La Zarzuela Palace, which was followed by a lunch in honor of Mattarella and his wife, the Italian leader was received in the afternoon at La Moncloa Palace by Pedro Sánchez, who highlighted the “broad harmony” between Spain and Italy in European affairs. “Both countries are the largest recipients of the Next Generation Funds, in addition to sharing strategic positions on matters such as fiscal governance, the Banking Union, migration, NATO and the Southern Neighborhood,” said the Presidency of the Government.
After a visit to Madrid City Hall, where the Mayor, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, presented him with the Golden Key of the City, the first day of the State visit concluded at the Royal Palace in Madrid, where the King and Queen hosted a gala dinner in honor of Mattarella and his wife, during which the Monarch presented him with the Collar of the Order of Isabella the Catholic.
At the toast of the dinner, the King said in his speech that Spain and Italy must “work together” to “make a more united, democratic and prosperous Europe” and defended, as “head of state of a friendly and allied nation”, the “desirability of greater understanding and closer cooperation if possible” between the two countries. “We must work together, loyally and effectively on all those challenges and fronts that the project of European construction has, and closely also with our partners,” he continued. “I am sure that the future of an integrated Europe will depend on Italy and Spain fulfilling the commitments undertaken in the framework of the Next Generation EU, thus guaranteeing both a clear economic and social benefit for our citizens and making possible the continuity of the Europe we want,” he added.
For his part, Mattarella affirmed in his speech that Italy and Spain share “an ideal community” founded “on the convinced adherence to the values of liberal democracy” and that it is “projected on that European horizon that represents our destiny.” “The closeness between our civil societies, which is renewed with each generation, is enriched today by a shared European dimension”, he added.
On the other hand, and in the framework of Mattarella’s visit, Albares met yesterday in Madrid with Luigi Di Maio, with whom he discussed economic relations, the “synergies” between the Recovery Plans of both countries, the celebration of the 150th anniversary of the Royal Academy of Spain in Rome, the European response to the problem of energy prices, the Mediterranean and the situations in Libya and Latin America, as reported by the two Foreign Ministries through Twiter.
Today, the second and last day of the State visit, the King will travel to Malaga with Sergio Mattarella and the President of Portugal, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, to participate in the XIV edition of the meeting on innovation COTEC-Europe, a space for reflection and exchange of ideas on problems and needs common to companies and economies of Spain, Italy and Portugal, the three countries where the Foundation for Technological Innovation (COTEC), of which the King is Honorary President, is established.
