King Felipe VI has held this Tuesday at the Royal Palace a round of audiences with four heads of State who have traveled to Madrid to take part this Wednesday and Thursday in the XXX Ibero-American Summit, as Zarzuela has reported.
The first to be received was the president of Chile, José Antonio Kast, whose inauguration took place last March 11 and to which the monarch attended. On that occasion, they already held a first official meeting.
In this new audience, in which Kast has been accompanied by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Francisco Pérez Mackenna, "the historic diplomatic and cooperation ties that unite both nations" have been highlighted again, as the Chilean Government has stressed on social media. "The friendship between Chile and Spain has deep roots and an enormous potential ahead," Kast has also said.
At the very first hour of the afternoon, the turn came for the president of Honduras, Nasry Asfura, whose country will assume the secretariat pro tempore at the end of the Madrid summit and will host the next Ibero-American Summit in 2028.
Felipe VI and Asfura also had not seen each other for the first time. Both met in Chile on the occasion of Kast’s inauguration, after the King was unable to be present at Asfura’s inauguration in January, as invitations had not been sent to foreign personalities for that ceremony.
Subsequently, the president of Guatemala, Bernardo Arévalo, was received at the Royal Palace, with whom the monarch had already met in January 2024 after he came to power. Felipe VI was unable to attend his inauguration due to delays caused by several days of political tensions. The Guatemalan leader returned in February of that same year on an official visit to Spain, during which he was also received by the King.
"A meeting that reaffirms the historic bonds of friendship between Guatemala and Spain, and our commitment to strengthen cooperation and dialogue between our countries," Arévalo said in a message on the social network X after the audience.
The last to go to the Royal Palace was the president of Costa Rica, Laura Fernández, whom Felipe VI already knew from last May, when he traveled to attend her inauguration, following the practice he has maintained since his time as Prince of Asturias of accompanying the new Ibero-American presidents in their inaugurations.
On behalf of the Government, the Secretary of State for Ibero-America, Susana Sumelzo, has accompanied the King at the meeting with Kast, while the Secretary of State for Cooperation, Eva Granados, has been present at the hearings with Afura, Arévalo and Fernández.