Washington (EFE).- The head of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez, has praised the courage of the former president of the United States House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi in her defense of democracy, which has earned her the decoration awarded by Spain .
Pelosi received last night from Sánchez the Grand Cross of the Order of Isabel la Católica, awarded by the Spanish Government, among other reasons, for “breaking the glass ceilings” by being the first woman to become president of the Chamber of US Representatives.
The award ceremony for this award was held at the residence of the Spanish ambassador to the United States on the occasion of Sánchez’s presence in Washington, who this Friday is meeting with US President Joe Biden.
As reported by the Spanish Government, in his speech at this event closed to the press and the first on the agenda of his visit to the US capital, Sánchez highlighted Pelosi’s courage and perseverance in his defense of democracy and rights Women’s.
He also highlighted his work to strengthen relations between Spain and the United States and build bridges between different cultures.
It was on April 25 when the Government of Spain agreed to award the Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic to Pelosi, a member of the US Democratic Party.
This decoration recognizes the extraordinary civil merits of those people who contribute to friendly relations with the Spanish nation and with the rest of the international community.
“For me, this is an honor personally, officially, diplomatically and in many ways,” he said upon receiving the cross.
Pelosi recalled Spain’s commitment to the Atlantic Alliance and to the fight against climate change, two of the main issues that will be the focus of today’s meeting between Sánchez and Biden.
Spain joins the US Artemis program for space exploration
Before that meeting, it was also announced that Spain has decided to join the Artemis program, promoted by the United States to establish the rules that will eventually regulate a permanent presence on the Moon and the exploration of other celestial bodies such as Mars.
A senior US official told EFE the news just before the meeting that US President Joe Biden and the President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez, will hold at the White House this Friday.
According to that source, both leaders plan to talk about the Artemis Accords and about how to strengthen cooperation between Spain and the United States in space.
The United States began to formally promote the Artemis program in 2017, under the Presidency of Donald Trump (2017-2021)
Its goal is to create a legal framework for space exploration and establish a permanent base on the moon that will facilitate missions with humans on board to Mars.
With Spain, 25 countries are already part of the Artemis program and, as signatories to that agreement, they commit to a peaceful exploration of space and to share their scientific discoveries, as well as to favor the creation of “safe zones” in which each nation can conduct operations on the surface of the Moon without interference from others.