Luis Ayllón
The Brazilian ambassador in Madrid, Orlando Leite Ribeiro, stressed that his country and Spain share the values of democracy, racial equality and the fight against intolerance.
The ambassador made this statement during the speech he gave at the reception offered on Tuesday at the Royal Tapestry Factory, on the occasion of Brazil’s National Day, and just a few days after the controversy sparked by some words by Real Madrid football player Vinicius Junior, which pointed to the existence of racism in Spain, although, at no time, there were specific references to that case.
The event was attended by the Spanish Ministers of Transport, Óscar Puente; and of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Luis Planas.
Among the numerous guests were also representatives of Spanish political, economic, military and cultural life, together with a large group of ambassadors, mainly from Latin America. Thus, on behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, there were, among others, the director general for Latin America, Javier Gassó, director general for Latin America and the Caribbean; and the deputy director general; and José Luis García Galán, deputy director general for Mercosur Countries, together with the director of Casa América, León de la Torre, and former Spanish ambassadors in Brazil, such as Manuel de la Cámara.
Also present were the Ibero-American secretary general, Andrés Allamand; and the secretary general of the Organization of Ibero-American States for Education, Science and Culture (OEI), Manuel Jabonero.
Also attending the reception were the spokesman for the PP, Borja Semper; and the deputies of the Popular Group Carlos Aragonés and Guillermo Mariscal.
After the interpretation of the national anthems of Spain and Brazil, the ambassador began by pointing out that, as the two countries share fundamental values, their future is inseparable. “Values such as democracy, racial equality and the fight against intolerance stand as defining elements of the modern identity of our peoples,” he stressed.
He then recalled that on the 24th of this month, Presidents Lula and Sánchez will co-host the event “In defense of democracy, fighting extremism,” which will take place in New York and will be attended by a significant part of the heads of State and Government present at the United Nations General Assembly.
And addressing Minister Planas, who that same night was traveling to the State of Mato Grosso, in Brazil, for the meeting of G20 Ministers of Agriculture, the ambassador assured him of his country’s commitment to continue producing more to feed better, but also preserving the environment.
Orlando Leite Ribeiro pointed out that during the Brazilian presidency of the G20, the Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty will be launched in November at the Rio de Janeiro Summit, an initiative in which – he said – Spain has already confirmed its participation in this Global Alliance, including with financial contributions, for which he thanked the ministers present.
He added that Brazil’s commitment to a more just and sustainable future will continue next year, when the State of Pará hosts the UN Conference on Climate Change, COP30.
The ambassador highlighted that on October 10, the first meeting of the Brazil-Spain Permanent Bilateral Commission will take place, chaired by Ministers Albares and Mauro Vieira. And in the business dimension, he gave as an example the presence of Abertis, Acciona, Aena, Iberdrola, Mapfre, Redeia, Repsol, Telefónica, Santander, Estrella Galicia and Indra as sponsors of the reception. And on the Brazilian side, where he saw a growing interest in Spain, he mentioned O8, an innovative financial institution, the Brazil-Spain Chamber of Commerce, Casa do Brasil, Cachaça Vinicius, Destilaria Salinas, Brasil Açaí, Whaka and Menendez Amerino.
Orlando Leite highlighted the exceptional contribution that Spain has made to the development of Brazilian infrastructure and, in the presence of Minister Puente, underlined that the largest airport concessionaire in Brazil is AENA, and the largest highway concessionaire is Abertis. “Whatever the mode of transport, Spain is present, facilitating the mobility of millions of people and goods in Brazil, every second,” he said.
For his part, Minister Oscar Puente, who said that Brazil is a country, friend and brother and, economically, an important partner, also highlighted the fact that AENA is the largest airport concessionaire in Brazil.
Finally, the Minister of Agriculture, Luis Planas, highlighted the political, economic and human relations between the two countries, which he said share leadership in many issues, such as sustainable food production and the fight against desertification.
