The Diplomat
King Felipe VI received yesterday in audience the Ibero-American Secretary General (SEGIB), Andrés Allamand, who explained the progress in the preparation of the next Ibero-American Summit and thanked him for confirming his attendance to the event, to be held on March 24 and 25 in the Dominican Republic.
According to the Royal House in a press release, Andrés Allamand went to the Zarzuela Palace accompanied by the State Secretary for Ibero-America and the Caribbean and Spanish in the World, Juan Fernández Trigo. The former Chilean foreign minister took office on February 8, 2022, after being appointed on November 26, 2021 in Santo Domingo during the first meeting of Ibero-American foreign ministers preparatory to the XXVIII Ibero-American Summit of Heads of State and Government.
At yesterday’s meeting, according to SEGIB, Andrés Allamand thanked “the unwavering commitment of the Spanish Crown to the Ibero-American Community over the past three decades” and that the King “has confirmed his attendance at the Summit”.
He also informed Felipe VI of the main advances in the preparatory work for the four major issues to be addressed during the Summit: digital rights, environment, food security and a new financial architecture. During the audience, the King and the Secretary General also highlighted the unique opportunity offered by the Ibero-American Summit to strengthen bi-regional relations between the European Union and Latin America and the Caribbean, “a matter that Spain will prioritize as it holds the Presidency of the Council of the European Union during the second half of the year”.
The Dominican Republic, which assumed the Pro Tempore Secretariat of the Ibero-American Conference at the end of the last Andorra Summit (held in April 2021), will host the XXVIII Ibero-American Summit on March 24 and 25, under the motto Together for a fairer and more sustainable Ibero-America (Juntos por una Iberoamérica más justa y sostenible). To date, 27 summits have been held. The Ibero-American Conference is made up of 22 countries, 19 Spanish and Portuguese-speaking Latin American countries and three European countries: Andorra, Spain and Portugal.
