<h6><strong>The Diplomat</strong></h6> <h4><strong>Last Friday, the Spanish-Portuguese Chamber of Commerce paid tribute to the Portuguese ambassador in Madrid, João Mira Gomes, who at the end of February will end a five-year mission in Spain to take up his new position as ambassador of his country at the United Nations headquarters in Geneva.</strong></h4> On this occasion, the Spanish-Portuguese Chamber of Commerce brought together more than fifty representatives of the Iberian business ecosystem this Friday in Madrid, according to the organization in a press release. During the event, the president of the Chamber, António Calçada, highlighted the “extraordinary career” of this “friend of Portugal and Spain, of relations, of consensus, friend of institutions and companies, of people, an intelligent, sensitive, serious and credible interlocutor”. After these words, representatives of the companies Repsol, Bondalti and Plenergy, partners of the Spanish-Portuguese Chamber, presented Mira Gomes with a gift in recognition of the work he has done during these five years at the head of the Embassy. In his farewell speech, João Mira Gomes said that “this is the most interesting diplomatic post I have had so far.” “Being the Portuguese ambassador to Spain is a demanding job, but it is very interesting and a privilege,” he continued. “Every day we can do something to strengthen relations between Portugal and Spain, a task that we cannot do alone,” said the ambassador. “Companies and businessmen help us a lot in this regard, which is why the Chamber of Commerce has been an indispensable partner during these five years and I am sure that it will continue to be for many more years to come,” he concluded. João Mira Gomes has a diplomatic career spanning more than 40 years. Before being posted to Madrid, Mira Gomes held other positions, such as ambassador and permanent representative of Portugal to NATO, Secretary of State for National Defence and Maritime Affairs of the XVII Constitutional Government (2006-2009) or Minister Counsellor at the Embassy of Portugal in Paris. The Spanish-Portuguese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, CHP, is an institution with a long history. Founded in 1971 by a group of Spanish and Portuguese businessmen, it is a non-profit association whose objective is to support companies with interests in the Iberian Peninsula. With its headquarters in Madrid, it has branches in the main Autonomous Communities. It is also part of the Network of Portuguese Chambers in the World, with more than 40 chambers in 30 countries, and of the Association of European Chambers of Commerce in Spain. “Ambassador João Mira Gomes has supported the Spanish-Portuguese Chamber since his arrival in Spain in February 2020, helping to promote and give visibility to institutional, economic and business relations in the Iberian Peninsula,” the Chamber added.
