The Diplomat
King Philip VI received last Thursday in New York the Foreign Policy Association (FPA) Medal, which recognizes individuals who “demonstrate responsible internationalism and work to expand public understanding of international affairs”.
The ceremony took place during the Association’s annual dinner, held at Harvard Hall, and was attended by, among others, the Ambassador Permanent Representative of Spain to the United Nations, Agustín Santos Maraver; the Consul General of Spain in New York, Caridad Batalla; the President of the Foreign Policy Association, Noel V. Lateef; and the Vice President of the Foreign Policy Association, Sana H. Sabbagh.
After receiving the award, Don Felipe delivered remarks to the audience in which he warned that “upholding freedom, democracy and respect for human rights and dignity involves a relentless commitment.” “It seems like an everlasting job, regardless of the transformations the World endures” but “we cannot take them for granted,” because, “unfortunately, many current events are a permanent reminder of that and, therefore, demand our utmost and generous effort,” he continued. “It is our duty and our responsibility. For ourselves and for our children,” he added.
The FPA was created more than 100 years ago with the mission to serve as a catalyst to raise awareness and inform the public about U.S. foreign policy and global issues. The Foreign Policy Association Medal, the highest award given by the Association, has been presented in the past to Michael Bloomberg, mayor of New York; Timothy Geithner, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York; Jean-Claude Trichet, president of the European Central Bank; Kevin Rudd, prime minister of Australia; Sheila C. Bair, president of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation; and Anne-Marie Slaughter, dean of the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University, among others.
Prior to this event, the King held a meeting with members of the Spain-U.S. Chamber of Commerce in New York, which was attended by Caridad Batalla, the president of the Spain-U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Marco Antonio Achón, and businessmen from the financial, energy, fashion, infrastructure and food sectors, among others. The Chamber, founded in New York in 1959, is a private, non-profit American institution that promotes bilateral trade and investment and represents the interests of companies that have established or are interested in establishing trade and business relations between Spain and the United States. It is also an official Spanish Chamber recognized as such by the Ministry of Economy.
After the meeting, the King went to the headquarters of the United Nations, where he held a meeting and lunch with the Secretary General of the United Nations, António Guterres, accompanied by Ambassador Santos Maraver and the Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs, Luis Manuel Cuesta. This is the fifth face-to-face meeting of Philip VI with Guterres since he has been UN Secretary General -they both spoke by videoconference in April 2020, during the confinement-. The last time they met was in July 2021, during a lunch offered at the Royal Palace to the UN Secretary General.
