The Diplomat
Don Felipe and Doña Letizia will make a state visit to Andorra on the 25th and 26th of next week, as informed yesterday by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This is the first visit of this rank by a King of Spain to the Principality.
The King and Queen will be accompanied by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Arancha González Laya, in a visit which aims to strengthen the relations between two neighboring countries, which the Spanish Government describes as “cordial”.
During their stay in Andorra, the King and Queen will meet with the head of the Government of the Principality, Xavier Espot, and with other executive and legislative authorities.
In addition, according to the note of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, they will have the opportunity to know “outstanding aspects of the educational system and the Andorran cultural heritage”.
The visit will take place less than a month before the XXVIII Ibero-American Summit of Heads of State and Government takes place in Andorra, scheduled for April 21, in a semi-presential manner, and which will be attended by Don Felipe, representing Spain, together with the head of the Executive, Pedro Sánchez.
The highest-ranking official visit made so far to the Pyrenean country took place in 2015 and starred the then Prime Minister, Mariano Rajoy.
The two countries formally established diplomatic ties in 1993 through a Treaty of Good Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation also sealed by France, since in Andorra the French president -currently, Emmanuel Macron- and the bishop of La Seu d’Urgell, who is currently Joan Enric Vives, serve as co-princes.
The visit of the King and Queen will be the first with the rank of State since they traveled to Cuba in November 2019. In April last year a scheduled visit United States had to be canceled because of the pandemic.
Precisely because of the COVID-19, the trips of the Kings abroad have been suspended, with the exception of the visit that Doña Letizia made to Honduras, in mid-December to deliver humanitarian aid and transfer Spanish solidarity to those affected by the passage of two hurricanes through the country.
