Statement by President of the Government following meeting with the President of the Federative Republic of Brazil

2017.4.24

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Brasilia

Ladies and gentlemen, a very good day to you all.

I would like to start this speech by saying that for me it is a great honour to appear before you all, together with President Temer, on the occasion of this working visit to Brazil.

As the president said in his speech, this is my first bilateral visit to Brazil as the President of the Government and I would like to thank President Temer for the invitation he made during our first meeting last year in China on the occasion of the G-20 Summit, which was made official on the occasion of the visit to Spain in November by the Brazilian Foreign Affairs Minister.

I would also like to highlight that this is the first Ibero-American country I have visited in the new term of office, which reflects the importance we assign to our bilateral relations with Brazil.

During our talks today we have reviewed the internal situation in both countries, as well as the regional and international situation. I congratulated President Temer on the reforms he has undertaken and conveyed my conviction that, in the medium term, the seriousness with which public affairs are tackled is always rewarded. The creation of a suitable framework so that private enterprise can flourish in terms of foreseeability and legal certainty, together with the sustainability of the public accounts, is the key for our societies to prosper.

We also spoke of our bilateral relations. Our countries, as you know, share values and have a long common history. The potential of our bilateral relations is tremendous and I hope that this visit will help us fully harness this potential.

Spain's business presence in Brazil is very strong. We are the second largest investor in Brazil and Brazil is the third largest recipient of Spanish overseas investment, behind only the United Kingdom and the United States. Spanish companies have shown that their commitment to Brazil is ongoing, and they have maintained and even increased their presence during tough years for both our economies.

The Brazilian Government has some very ambitious plans, in line with the tremendous potential of the country. That is why I am absolutely convinced that there is a broad margin for increasing the presence of Spanish companies in Brazil, as well as for stepping up our bilateral trade. The Business Meeting I will inaugurate in Sao Paulo tomorrow is one more example of our commitment to the future of the Brazilian economy.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Relations between our two countries go way beyond purely economic affairs. We have addressed other areas of bilateral cooperation, in such fields as science, culture and education, all of which I assign great importance to.

We also spoke about foreign policy. We are both convinced of the need to move forward in relations between MERCOSUR and the European Union. Spain has always been and will continue to be a strong backer of the trade agreement between the European Union and MERCOSUR. We welcome the resumption of negotiations last year, with an initial exchange of the negotiating offers, and the progress made in the last round of negotiations held in Buenos Aires last month.

At this time in which certain parties are showing protectionist leanings, we both agree on the importance of opening up at an international level, and not just in strictly economic terms.

We also spoke about various issues on the regional agenda in Ibero-America. Brazil and Spain share values, which explains our agreement on the different challenges facing the region.

As is only right, we paid close attention to the situation in Venezuela, a country very dear to both Spain and Brazil. The situation in this sister nation profoundly concerns us. We agree that, given how volatile and inflammable the situation is, it is imperative to find a negotiated solution in the country, one which must necessarily derive from returning power to the people of Venezuela, as custodians of their own national sovereignty.

In short, this has been a most beneficial meeting, as I am sure the rest of my visit will be. We were able to confirm the high degree of harmony that exists between our two countries and the interest of our governments in stepping up our relations which, believe me, has always been my goal. That is why I once again thank President Temer and all the people of Brazil for their warm welcome.

Mr President, Brazil can always count on the affection, friendship and loyal collaboration of Spain.

Thank you very much.