Eduardo González
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, presented yesterday before the Diplomatic Corps accredited in Spain the candidacy of Malaga for the International Exposition of 2027, a “country project behind which we are all Spaniards” and all levels of the Administration “regardless of their political color”.
“The Malaga project, let there be no doubt, has the support of all state institutions, we have demonstrated on several occasions,” said Albares during the reception, held at the headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Marqués de Salamanca, in Madrid. The Expo, he continued, “is a country project, it is a project behind which all Spaniards are behind”, because “we are all convinced of the potential of this project and, therefore, our cooperation is total, regardless of the level of the Administration and its political color”, he continued. “This is the first message that I want to convey to you today and that I ask you to convey to your capitals as well,” he added.
Likewise, Albares said, the objective of the Expo, under the slogan The Urban Era: Towards the Sustainable City, is to help “make population growth and urban development compatible with environmental protection and a socially just and sustainable economic model.” “Spain is a strong advocate of the so-called localization of the 2030 Agenda, that is, the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals at the local level, and here, naturally, cities, and Malaga at the center of it, play an essential role,” he added.
“In Spain we have amply demonstrated our ability to meet the highest standards,” the minister continued. “You can remember the celebration of COP25 in Madrid, the very recent NATO Summit and, even more years ago, the Olympic Games in Barcelona, the Universal Expo in Seville or, more recently, the International Expo in Zaragoza,” he explained. “The Malaga Expo, if it is the chosen city, will follow this path of excellence in the organization of major events”, because “choosing a Spanish venue to host an international event is a commitment to experience and a guarantee of success,” he said.
“Being the third tourist destination in the world is an asset”
Another advantage of the candidacy is “the ability to attract and welcome visitors”, something that “Malaga and Spain have more than enough”, because “being the second tourist destination in the world is an asset when it comes to attracting visitors and welcoming them,” said Albares. “Our air transport infrastructures allow easy access from any country in the world, the international airport of Malaga receives nearly 20 million passengers each year, of which almost 17 million come from international flights, and the Spanish high-speed train network is the most extensive in Europe and that allows travel from Madrid to Malaga in just two and a half hours, ensuring connectivity with anywhere in the world,” he explained. For all these reasons, he concluded, “I ask for the support of their respective countries to the candidacy of Malaga, because if Malaga wins, we will win all countries and, above all, the planet will win”.
During the event, which was also attended by the mayor of Malaga, Francisco de la Torre, and representatives of the central government, the Government de Andalucía and the provincial government, the official promotional video of the candidacy was projected, as well as a promotional video of Spain -both used during the presentation of the candidacy during the 170th Assembly of the International Bureau of Exhibitions in Paris (BIE), last June- and a cocktail was offered to the diplomatic corps with typical products of Malaga’s gastronomy, such as Aloreña olives, Ardales potato chips, Guadalhorce tomato salad, ajoblanco, salami tartar, Canillas goat brioche and Algarrobo cake mousse, among others, which were served by Malaga companies that wanted to collaborate with the event.
The Andalusian city will compete for the organization of the Expo with Minnesota (USA), Phuket (Thailand), Belgrade (Serbia) and Bariloche (Argentina). Spain officially presented its candidacy last June 7 at the BIE headquarters in Paris and the first defense took place two weeks later before the 170th General Assembly of this organization. That was the first of three assemblies in which Malaga’s candidacy will have to be defended. The next ones will be held in November 2022 and June 2023, when the winning city will be announced. In addition, a representation of BIE delegates will travel to Spain in September of this year to see the candidacy first hand. If the city wins, the exhibition The Urban Era: Towards the Sustainable City will be held in Malaga from June 5 to September 5, 2027.
