REMARKS FROM THE AMBASSADOR OF SPAIN

ON THE OCCASION OF THE SPANISH NATIONAL DAY

(TrinidadCountry Club, Port of Spain)

10.10.2014

This is a very special occasion for me as it is my first National Day since my accreditation to Trinidad and Tobago. I'm here tonight surrounded by my team and I would like to extend a message of appreciation for the dedication and efforts they have devoted to this event.

As you know we are a very young Embassy (this mission was only opened in 2006). We are small with a brand new team nevertheless, we have set ambitious but achievable goals.

Today I would like to convey to you some ideas to illustrate the nature of the presence of Spain here. I hope I can communicate as well the illusion and expectations we put in our work here.

My first message is that

1.- Spain is expanding its political, economic and cultural presence. in the Caribbean.

Obviously Spain has had and continues to have very close relationships with our sister nations of Latin America. In the past our relations with the Caribbean countries were not going far beyond the mere existence of diplomatic ties with little content. Now the situation is very different. During the last decades our political and economic interests have led us to increase our involvement in the Caribbean. Today we are one of the European countries with the largest diplomatic presence in the region. We have 5 resident embassies in the region. And in a few months we will to have a permanent diplomatic presence in Guyana and St. Lucia with two more diplomats depending of this Embassy.

During this last year we’ve had the visits of: our Prime Minister to Antigua and Barbuda for the CARICOM summit, our Foreign Minister to Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana two Secretaries of State and two Special Envoys. We have signed the Joint Commission with CARICOM; agreements on visa exemption on diplomatic passports with some countries in the area; various Memoranda of Understanding for cooperation in disaster prevention and climate change; a statement for the expansion of renewable energy in the Caribbean, along with the EU and IDB. We have mechanisms for ongoing political dialogue with Caribbean countries in Brussels and New York. I think all these illustrate a genuine interest of my country in the Caribbean region
2. We believe that Trinidad and Tobago is a key ally of Spain in this process.
Based on the substrate of a common history dating back to the XV century, on a firm commitment to the values ​​of democracy, freedom and human rights and sharing the belief that solidarity, dialogue and cooperation are essential tools to create a fair and safe international order, Spain and Trinidad are building sound bilateral relations that will bring mutual benefits and prosperity to our nations.

Here also we have done many things in a few months.

Politically, we have multiplied our bilateral contacts. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Trinidad and Tobago visited Madrid late last year. I thank the honourable Minister for a very successful visit. It was very rich in content and it has opened the door to work in a very dense bilateral agenda. Our Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. García Margallo, visited Trinidad and Tobago a few months later, in May. Now we’re focussing on preparing our exercise of bilateral political consultations for later this year or early next.

Spain has supported the inclusion of Trinidad and Tobago in the list of countries to benefit from the visa waiver so that citizens of this country can travel hassle free to most European countries. Our Prime Minister offered Spain’s support for Trinidad and Tobago’s bid to hosts the Arms Treaty Secretariat.

In the educational and cultural field I can only applaud Trinidad and Tobago’s decision to introduce Spanish in primary education. There is no doubt that Spanish is a great language of culture shared by 450 million Spanish speakers. But today learning Spanish is no longer just something that meets a personal curiosity about culture and language. It is almost essential in doing business. Even more so for a country like Trinidad and Tobago in need of diversifying its economic and trade relations to include the thriving Latin-American world.
There is a great intellectual curiosity in Trinidad and Tobago for Spain and its culture. We will continue to bring to this country samples of our rich and diverse culture. Whether through events such as the European Film Festival, whichSpain will coordinate next year, or through our traditional Christmas Concert. The fifth edition will be held in November this year.

EconomicallySpain is proud of the behaviour and presence of its companies in Trinidad and Tobago. But we want to do more, especially in those sectors where our businesses have greater know-how and comparative advantages: notably energy and renewable energy, water and sanitation, Information Technology and Communication and, obviously, tourism since in this area the possibilities are endless.

3. Spain is an active and dynamic economic partner.

And this is my third message. You are aware that the Spanish economy, like other European countries, has experienced a deep economic crisis in recent years. But today Spain has emerged from recession and is starting to grow again. The main imbalances are being corrected and Indicators have improved significantly, Today Spain is the 2nd exporting economic of the Eurozone in terms of weight of Exports related to GDP (almost 35% of our GDP) and just a few days ago the International Monetary Fund has placed Spain as the fastest growing economy of the Eurozone.

Not everything is so bright however. There are still imbalances to be corrected, especially the high levels of debt and unemployment. There’s a need to continue with this policy of structural reforms so as to consolidate these improvements.

But Spain has a solid foundation and great strengths. We are a diversified economy, we possess a skilled workforce and we have a group of large companies which are leaders in key sectors: energy production and management, major infrastructure projects, transport management, environmental technologies, information and communications technologies, biotechnology, shipbuilding, aerospace technology, automotive industry, financial sector ... but also in traditional sectors such as textiles, food, gastronomy, tourism.

Some data: the biggest construction company in the western world is ACS Group, the top first renewable energy company is Iberdrola, the largest group in fashion distribution is Inditex (Zara), the top major companies in transport infrastructure management are from Spain (1st, 2nd, 4th and 7th). The first telecom company in the Eurozone, 5th in the World, is Telefónica. The first bank in the Eurozone, 3rd in the world in terms of capital is Banco Santander…all from Spain.

My point is that it is likely that we’ll see some of this activity coming to Trinidad and Tobago soon. Given that Spain is the 2nd largest investor in Latin America, only after the US, we see no reason not to invest in Trinidad and Tobago. I am convinced that Trinidad and Tobago has a lot of potential to attract a part of this interest.

4. Spain is an internationally committed country.

Spain is modern, innovative and relatively prosperous. It is also faithful to its international commitments, supporting the integration on the European Unión and the efforts of the UN. Spain is the world's sixth-largest contributor to the United Nations system and we have focused on combating poverty, especially through the Spain-UN Millennium Development Goals Fund. Spain is-committed to peacekeeping and security: more than 130,000 members of the Spanish Armed forces have been participating in peacekeeping operations and humanitarian aid missions throughout the world. Also Spain is committed to protecting human rights, including the human right to water and sanitation, to consolidate UN Women, and to promote the rights of persons with disabilities.

On this basis, Spain decided to present its candidature for a non-permanent seat in the Security Council for the period 2015 to 2016. Elections are to be held on the 16th in New York. On Sunday and I will be travelling there to support our candidature. (This explains why we had to move our National Day which is usually celebrated on October 12, to today). We believe that our presence in that body can bring balance and efficiency. We can also be the voice of the Caribbean countries in an international environment dominated by large regional crisis.

Ladies and Gentlemen, In closing, I would like to quote our new king, Philip VI, in his address to the UN General Assembly last month. He said:

"Sincerely, despite our problems, I see today's Spanish society as an example of commitment to the dignity and solidarity with the poor. It has a deep sense of equality, rejects fanaticism, violence and intolerance, and loves peace. It is a diverse society in culture and language. It is able to overcome difficulties with determination and a sense of responsibility. It demands integrity as a civic value essential to democracy. It is a strong and generous society, of which I am truly proud of. "

Honourable Minister, having Trinidad and Tobago as a friendly nation with which we share so many things, is also an honour for us, for Spain, for the Embassy and for Spanish colony resident in Trinidad and Tobago. We really value your people’s friendship and appreciation. With my honest acknowledgment of your presence here tonight I invite you to take the floor.

José María Fernández López de Turiso

Ambassador of Spain/Embajador de España

JMFLdT -1

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