Luis Ayllón <h4><strong>The Chilean Ambassador to Madrid, Javier Velasco, stressed that Chile is a country of legal certainty when it comes to doing business and political certainty when it comes to seeking alliances, and assured that Spain is its strongest ally in Europe.</strong></h4> Velasco made these statements during a reception held last Friday at the Julián Besteiro School to celebrate National Day on the 214th anniversary of Chile's Independence, which was attended by numerous guests, including the Secretary of State for Latin America, the Caribbean and Spanish in the World, Susana Sumelzo; the Secretary General for Defence Policy, Admiral Juan Francisco Martínez; and the Secretary of State for Housing and the Urban Agenda, David Lucas; as well as ambassadors from different countries, especially Latin American countries, businessmen and high-ranking members of the military. After the playing of the Spanish and Chilean anthems, the Embassy's military attaché, Colonel Rodrigo Rojas Martín, took the floor to underline the role of the Chilean Armed Forces in the security and defence of the country, on a day on which the Day of the Glories of the Chilean Army was also commemorated. The ambassador then gave a speech in which, after pointing out that Spain and Chile act as a bridge connecting their respective regions, he highlighted the fact that, in 2023, precisely under the Spanish Presidency of the EU, Chile will be the first country to sign an advanced framework agreement with the EU-27. He also recalled that the President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez, travelled to Chile in December of the same year to sign several agreements, including the renewal of the strategic alliance between the two countries, a document which he said ‘gives Chile a key role in Spain's economic relations with the Asia-Pacific region, an area of the future in which our country,’ he said, ‘exercises leadership through the Pacific Alliance’. Javier Velasco, who recalled the arrival this year at the port of Cadiz of the training ship Esmeralda, on its 70th anniversary, stated that the last year has been marked ‘by national economic growth that exceeds expectations and by a substantial reduction in inflation and the current account deficit’. He added that Chile is ‘a multilateral reference in the defence of liberal ideals and human rights’. ‘Because Chile, he emphasised, is a country with a state foreign policy, institutionally robust and globally relevant, a country with legal certainty when doing business and political certainty when seeking alliances to dream of a better and fairer world. ‘We are a country of the future, of renewable energies and green mining, of talent production and international vocation, of democratic vocations and regional and global leadership. The ambassador then indicated that Spain is Chile's strongest ally in Europe and the third largest foreign investor in the country. He concluded by assuring that Chile ‘is called upon to save the world from climate change’ and that it will only do so ‘hand in hand with Spain’. The reception was enlivened with a performance by the Cal y Canto Cultural Association. [caption id="attachment_94766" align="alignnone" width="750"]<img class="wp-image-94766 size-full" src="https://thediplomatinspain.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Agregado-militar-ok.jpg" alt="" width="750" height="422" /> The first speaker was the Military and Defense Attaché of the Chilean Embassy, Colonel Rodrigo López Martín.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_94768" align="alignnone" width="750"]<img class="wp-image-94768 size-full" src="https://thediplomatinspain.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Embajador-hablando-ok-3.jpg" alt="" width="750" height="422" /> The Chilean ambassador, Javier Velasco Villegas, highlighted the excellent relations between his country and Spain.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_94770" align="alignnone" width="750"]<img class="wp-image-94770 size-full" src="https://thediplomatinspain.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Eslovaquia-Alemania-Nueva-Zelanda-ok.jpg" alt="" width="750" height="422" /> The Ambassador of Slovakia, together with his counterparts from Germany (centre) and New Zealand.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_94772" align="alignnone" width="750"]<img class="wp-image-94772 size-full" src="https://thediplomatinspain.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Bolivia-y-marido-con-Simona-ok.jpg" alt="" width="750" height="429" /> The ambassador of Bolivia (in the center), together with her husband and Simona Gresi, from Quirón Salud.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_94774" align="alignnone" width="750"]<img class="wp-image-94774 size-full" src="https://thediplomatinspain.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Baile-ok.jpg" alt="" width="750" height="422" /> The attendees at the reception enjoyed the "esquinazo de cueca", a national dance of Chile.[/caption]
