Mariano Rajoy on official working visit to United States of America

President of the Government Rajoy and President Obama have met previously on a number of occasions: at the 2012 Nuclear Security Summit in Seoul; at the 2012 NATO Summit in Chicago; at the Saint Petersburg G-20 meeting in 2013; and, most recently, at the funeral for Nelson Mandela in Johannesburg.

The visit is framed by US-Spain relations based on an allied partnership and shared values, as well as Spain''s consideration of the US as a strategic and reliable partner reflecting a clear desire to cooperate in many areas of common interest.

This allied partnership will be particularly evident at the meeting with President Obama, which will provide an ideal opportunity to discuss topics of interest to both countries, such as - besides bilateral relations - the economic situation in the two countries, EU-US relations (especially the work on a Free Trade Treaty between the two economies), issues of common interest in Latin America (including the Pacific Alliance) and various issues of international interest (especially those relating to North Africa and the Mediterranean).

Economic affairs

This visit is also important in terms of economic affairs.

The United States of America is the leading importer of Spanish goods outside of Europe. Spanish goods exports to the US amounted to 9.01 billion euros in 2012 - more than the sum total exported to the next four most important destinations in the Americas (Mexico, Brazil, Venezuela and Canada).

Spanish services exported to the US amounted to 8.68 billion euros in 2012 - a year-on-year increase of 21%.

Between 2005 and 2012, the portfolio of direct Spanish investments in the US grew by 630% to 47.35 billion dollars. As a result, Spain has become the tenth-largest overseas investor in the country and accounts for 1.79% of the total.

Over 700 Spanish companies hold investments in the US and employ more than 70,000 people. Spanish investments in the US can be found in numerous sectors, with a significant focus on finance, energy, infrastructure, healthcare and insurance.

A busy agenda

The busy agenda for the President of the Government on 13 and 14 January includes events of a political, economic and international nature.

The main political event will be a meeting between President of the Government Rajoy and President Obama at the White House. Other important events will include presenting the Grand Cross of Isabella the Catholic to Senator Bob Menéndez, a meeting at the Capitol Building with members of the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations and a visit to Arlington National Cemetery.

The first event of an economic nature will be a lunch with business leaders at the US Chamber of Commerce, at which Mariano Rajoy will give a speech. He will also attend a meeting with the Managing Director of the IMF, Christine Lagarde, and a meeting with the Chairman of the Competition Business Council.

Finally, the international event will comprise a visit to the Organisation of American States (OAS), where the President of the Government will meet with the Secretary General of the OAS, José Miguel Insulza.