Santo Domingo (EFE).- Felipe VI appealed at the XXVIII Ibero-American Summit to the unity of the nations that make it up to make his voice heard in defense of democracy, the rule of law, human rights, fundamental freedoms, justice social and multilateralism.
The King, in his speech before the rest of the Ibero-American leaders and accompanied by the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, stressed that the region’s heritage must be preserved in order to continue building together both now and in the future.
“In a world as convulsed as today, all the nations of our Ibero-American community must remain united and make their voices heard in defense of universal principles and values,” said the head of state.
Principles that he detailed such as democracy, human rights and fundamental freedoms.
In his opinion, if all the members of the Ibero-American community continue to give solidity and continuity to the common project by introducing the necessary keys to innovation, “the 21st century -he assured- will be the one of our greatest takeoff”.
Thus, he ventures the existence of “a great space for peaceful development, growth, cohesion and well-being, of fully democratic countries in which the rule of law prevails, with all its splendor and guarantees”.
The king thanked the organization of the summit to the Dominican president, Luis Abinader, and stressed that it is the first time that all the leaders have met in person since 2018 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
He recalled that 2021 marked the 30th anniversary of the first Ibero-American summit, held in the Mexican town of Guadalajara, and considered that both due to their continuity and their regularity and intense activity, these meetings have been “a successful initiative”.
Some meetings that have been approving relevant decisions such as those that he estimates will be the ones that see the light in this Santo Domingo event: the Environmental Charter, the Ibero-American Charter of Principles and Rights in Digital Environments, and the so-called critical path to achieve food safety.
In short, he believes that a “community of action” has been created that is also one of solidarity, respect and affection in which the diversity of the countries that comprise it is also a value.
“The Ibero-American has taken on a life of its own,” said Felipe VI, who stressed that joining efforts to glimpse and help shape the role of the community, its responsibility and its opportunities, is an operation of enormous depth that transcends circumstances and generations.
The king thanked Ecuador and its president, Guillermo Lasso, for their commitment to organize the next Ibero-American summit in two years, an appointment that he said will allow “continue strengthening our community and imagine our best tomorrow.”
In addition, he referred to the importance of the IX International Congress of the Spanish Language that will be held next week in Cádiz and recalled that 850 million people speak Portuguese and Spanish and that is also an Ibero-American heritage.
