The Ibero-American summit scheduled for April 20 and 21 in Andorra will be attended personally by the heads of state and government of Spain, Portugal, the Dominican Republic and Guatemala, as well as the host country, while the others will speak electronically.
The head of the Andorran Government, Xavier Espot, confirmed the leaders who will be in situ at the Summit, which will take place in a mixed format due to the pandemic.
The summit was scheduled for November last year, but it was decided to postpone it due to the health crisis.
Espot referred to the Ibero-American meeting in statements addressed to the press in the Andorran city of Ordino at the end of the official visit of Kings Felipe and Letizia to Andorra, the first by a Spanish monarch in the small Pyrenean country.
In addition to Felipe VI and the head of the Spanish government, Pedro Sánchez, the President and Prime Minister of Portugal, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa and António Costa, respectively, will be in Andorra.
Also, Alejandro Giammattei, President of Guatemala, the country that organized the previous Summit, and Luis Abinader, from the Dominican Republic, who will take over from Andorra in the organization of the next Summit.
On behalf of Andorra, Espot and the two co-princes will act as hosts, the Archbishop of the Catalan city of La Seu d’Urgell (Lleida), Joan Enric Vives and Patrick Strzoda, who will be delegated by French President Emmanuel Macron, the other head of state. of the Pyrenees.
The face-to-face participation will be completed by the Ibero-American Secretary General, Costa Rica Rebeca Grynspan.
In Espot’s opinion, the assistance of these five countries and the telematic intervention of the other Ibero-American partners is a “good and well-considered” solution, so that the Summit is not entirely virtual in this country as well. The Atlantic.
Espot did not specify whether all Latin American leaders would participate in the video conference at the Summit, whose motto will be “Innovation for sustainable development: the 2030 goal. Ibero-America faces the challenge of coronavirus.”
Regarding the premiere as organizer of the meeting in Andorra, its governor stressed that it reflects his firm commitment to cooperation with other countries.
“The multilateralism that seems so avant-garde is in our DNA and we are a strong defender of multilateral values,” Espot said after recalling that his country was founded seven centuries ago and has always based its relations on dialogue. .
The Andorran President thanked the kings for their support of Spain and France, so that negotiations between the principality and the EU could culminate in the “success” of sealing an association agreement.