The president of Chile, José Antonio Kast, arrives this Monday at the Torrejón de Ardoz Air Base (Madrid) to begin his first official visit to Spain since assuming the Head of State. The head of State will begin his agenda with a meeting with the leader of Vox, Santiago Abascal, before receiving a decoration from the Community of Madrid and speaking at the Ibero-American Summit that will be held in the capital during this week.
The meeting between the Chilean leader and Abascal takes place in the midst of the pre-campaign for the general elections next November 29 and a few days after the Urda (Toledo) railway accident, in which 69 people lost their lives and dozens of injured were recorded.
This meeting will precede his trip to the Royal Post Office, where the president of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, will bestow on him the International Medal of the regional Government for his contribution to universal values. This recognition has previously been awarded to the president of Argentina, Javier Milei, the Venezuelan opposition figure, Edmundo González, and the Ukrainian president, Volodímir Zelenski, among other personalities.
Likewise, according to the Chilean media outlet "La Tercera", the Chilean president also has on his agenda a meeting with the president of the Popular Party, Alberto Núñez Feijóo.
The Head of State travels accompanied by an official delegation that includes the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Francisco Pérez, and the Minister of the General Secretariat of the Presidency, José García. In addition, according to the aforementioned media outlet, the trip includes representation of the three branches of the Chilean State, after the President of the Senate, Paulina Núñez; the President of the Chamber of Deputies, Jorge Alessandri; and the President of the Supreme Court, Gloria Ana Chevesich, joined the delegation.
After completing his engagements in Madrid —where he will attend the Santander Bank International Banking Conference—, the president will continue on to Rome and Vatican City. Later he will return to the Spanish capital to take part in the XXX Ibero-American Summit of Heads of State and Government, scheduled for November 4 and 5.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Chile, Francisco Pérez, has placed this visit within the objective of "strengthening relations with historical partners" and of promoting the arrival of investments. "We seek to move toward a more strategic cooperation, capable of generating responses to the region's challenges, mainly in matters of security," the minister has highlighted in a video circulated on social media.