The Diplomat
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Arancha González Laya, and her counterpart from El Salvador, Alexandra Hill Tinoco, held yesterday the first Bilateral Consultations meeting in the framework of the Memorandum of Understanding between both Ministries.
This visit, Minister Hill’s first outside the American continent in more than a year and a half due to the mobility restrictions established by the COVID-19 pandemic, reflects “the excellent state of bilateral relations, as well as the mutual interest in strengthening them”, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
During their meeting, the two ministers highlighted “the important historical, political, commercial, human, cultural and cooperation ties” that unite the countries and reaffirmed their willingness to “continue working to promote development and dialogue between the two governments for the benefit of citizens”.
They also discussed the measures adopted by their countries to face the COVID-19 pandemic and the progress of their respective vaccination programs, and stressed the importance of “equitable access to vaccines and medical supplies based on adequate international cooperation”. In this sense, González Laya reiterated Spain’s “solidarity commitment” to donate vaccines to the Latin American region, expressed by the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, at the recent Ibero-American Summit held in Andorra la Vella.
The two ministers highlighted the importance of trade and investment relations between the two countries and the role they can play in economic recovery, particularly in the context of the pandemic, and recalled, by way of example, the strategic projects, such as the Pacific Train, the Pacific Airport or the Ferry between El Salvador and Costa Rica, which “favor the connectivity of the region, while giving Spanish companies the opportunity to contribute to the economic development of the country”, according to the Ministry.
González Laya and Hill agreed to promote the signing of a new Country Partnership Framework for the period 2021-2024, which will incorporate the principles of the Sustainable Development Goals (Agenda 2030) and align with the strategic priorities of El Salvador in the horizon of sustainable recovery from the COVID-19 crisis.
During the meeting, the two ministers stressed that the celebration of the Bicentennial of the Independence of El Salvador, which takes place this year, will be an “excellent occasion” to renew the commitments of friendship and mutual collaboration and recalled that this event coincides with the 35th anniversary of the Esquipulas Peace Accords and the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the Central American Integration System (SICA), which “Spain strongly supports and whose General Secretariat is based in San Salvador”.
On the occasion of her visit to Spain, Hill will inaugurate the Consulate General of Seville, a new consular representation at the service of the growing Salvadoran community in southern Spain, and will hold meetings with the Minister of Inclusion, Social Affairs and Migration, José Luis Escrivá; the Ibero-American Secretary General, Rebeca Grynspan; and the Mayor of Barcelona, Ada Colau.
