The Diplomat
The Board of Trustees of the Spain-USA Council Foundation held its second regular meeting of the year in Madrid at the end of June, which included, among other matters, the incorporation of the State Secretary for Commerce, Amparo López Senovilla, and the general director of Casa of America, León de la Torre.
The main item on the agenda of the meeting, which took place on June 20, was the approval of the annual accounts and the presentation of the activity report corresponding to the 2023 financial year.
The president of the Foundation, Josu Jon Imaz, highlighted the high level of the activities carried out over the past year, among which the organization of four visitor programs, the ceremony for the presentation of the 10th Bernardo de Gálvez Award to the Meadows Museum -SMU of Dallas and the exhibition 'Invisible emigrants. Spaniards in the USA (1868-1945)' in Almería. “I thank the companies and institutions that are part of the Board of Trustees for their constant support and commitment to the institution, without which the celebration of these activities would not have been possible,” he declared.
For his part, the State Secretary for Foreign and Global Affairs, Diego Martínez Belío, also highlighted the work of the Foundation within the framework of bilateral relations between both countries and assured that “it is no coincidence” that this institution is expressly mentioned. together with the United States Spain Council in the Joint Declaration between Spain and the United States, signed by the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, and the President of the United States, Joe Biden, on June 28, 2022. “Looking ahead, we will continue working together to preserve the excellent moment that relations between Spain and the United States are going through in all areas,” he added.
In the item on the agenda dedicated to the affairs of the Board of Trustees, the appointments of Amparo López Senovilla and León de la Torre were formalized and the renewals for a new four-year period of Charles Powell, director of the Elcano Royal Institute, became effective. , and the Mondragón Corporation, represented by the president of Mondragón Internacional, Oskar Goitia.
In her words to the Board of Trustees, the State Secretary highlighted the excellent health of the economic and commercial relations between both countries, a relationship “anchored in shared democratic values”, and highlighted the role of Spanish companies that operate in the country to guarantee sustainable growth and channel communication in key sectors such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity or semiconductors.
“Public-private cooperation is essential to reinforce Spain's image as a reliable strategic partner for the United States. To achieve this, the role of the companies that are part of this Board of Trustees is fundamental,” added López Senovilla.
Balance of the XXVII Spain – United States Forum
Another item on the agenda was the assessment of the recently held XXVII Spain-United States Forum in Santa Fe, New Mexico. In this regard, the Board of Trustees highlighted the qualitative representation of the American delegation and the quality of the debates. President Imaz, for his part, announced the start of preparations for the next edition of the Forum, which will be held in Spain in 2025.
For his part, the vice president of the Foundation, José María de Areilza, reviewed the activities carried out since the previous meeting (the XXVII Spain-USA Forum, the visit program for 'Young North American Leaders' and the collaborations with the IX International Congress on Links between Spain and North America of the Franklin Institute, among others) and highlighted, in the chapter of the activity plan, the upcoming visit of a delegation of representatives of the California State Assembly organized by ICEX.
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