Pedro Sánchez: "Latin America is not just a history we share. It is, above all, a decision we continue to make. The decision to commit to dialogue, cooperation and peace"

The President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, addressed the plenary session of Heads of State and Government at the 30th Ibero-American Summit - the fourth to be organised by Spain - held at the Gallery of the Royal Collections in Madrid.

Following the reception of the Heads of State and Government, alongside His Majesty the King and the Secretary-General of the Ibero-American General Secretariat, the plenary session began, during which President Sánchez, as the host Head of Government, highlighted the importance of holding this meeting in the current global context. "Dialogue rather than imposition. Cooperation rather than division. Peace rather than violence," he said, highlighting the path that Ibero-America is choosing to take in the face of those who seek to reduce international relations to force, subordination and unilateralism.

"Ibero-America is not just a history we share. It is, above all, a decision we continue to make. The decision to commit to dialogue, cooperation and peace". The history of the Ibero-American community, the president noted, is characterised by the fulfilment of commitments, and he stated that this Madrid Summit, in particular, is driving forward new and important agreements to continue building the future by sharing a common ambition: "that our community should be of service to the people it represents".

In this regard, Pedro Sánchez highlighted the creation of the Ibero-American Alliance for Artificial Intelligence, the Ibero-American Network for Disaster Risk Reduction and Civil Protection - which will strengthen joint response capabilities in the event of natural disasters - the Ibero-American Charter on Academic Mobility, the Ibero-American Charter on Care and, finally, the new Ibero-American Cooperation Strategy, which will enable cooperation that is more flexible, more effective and more closely attuned to the real needs of our peoples. "These are steps forward that will benefit the majority of people in our countries."

"It is important that we continue to build Ibero-America," the president reaffirmed, urging us not to become complacent and stressing the need to develop our own solutions and exert influence in the face of the major transformations of our time. "We are more than 700 million people. We have dynamic economies, extraordinary cultural strength, strategic resources and clean energy that are essential for the green and digital transitions," he added, also highlighting the extraordinary network of existing relationships built on a long history of cooperation.

The President of the Government of Spain poses in the official photo with the attendees of the plenary session of the XXX Ibero-American Summit | Pool Moncloa/Borja Puig de la Bellacasa

The President of the Government of Spain has emphasised that the Ibero-American community must act as a catalyst to strengthen and foster relations between Europe and Latin America, highlighting the work Spain has been carrying out in this regard, in particular through the strengthening of the EU-CELAC Summit under Spain's presidency of the Council of the EU in 2023. He also reiterated his support for a Latin American woman to become the next Secretary-General of the United Nations. At the end of the plenary session, the Final Declaration of the 30th Ibero-American Summit was adopted and the Pro Tempore Secretariat was handed over to Honduras.

Throughout the Madrid Summit, the success of the event in terms of attendance was highlighted. All the Ibero-American countries were present, thirteen of which were represented at the highest level. Among them, alongside President Sánchez, were the heads of state of Andorra, Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Portugal and the Dominican Republic, as well as the Vice-presidents of Colombia, Ecuador and El Salvador.

Also taking part were the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres; the president of the European Council, António Costa; and the Vice-president of the European Commission, Teresa Ribera.

As part of the Summit, President Sánchez held bilateral meetings with the President of Chile, Antonio Kast, the president of the European Council, Antonio Costa, and the President of Bolivia, Rodrigo Paz Pereira.

Non official translation