The foreign ministers of the Ibero-American Conference adopted Thursday, December 7th, a political declaration in which they thank and support the Andorran candidacy to host the Summit of Heads of State and Governments in 2020. Andorra would replace Guatemala to head the Pro Tempore Secretariat of this body during the period 2019-2020. Andorran Minister for Foreign Affairs, Maria Ubach, welcomed the support of the Ibero-American community to Andorra and conveyed to her counterparts the honour and responsibility of hosting the Summit and guiding the action of the Ibero-American Conference for two years.
The candidacy will not be definitively validated until the Summit of Heads of State and Government scheduled for November next year, but the commitment adopted, within the framework of the Meeting of Foreign Ministers of the Ibero-American Conference that took place in Antigua, Guatemala, will allow the Principality to begin work on preparations for this important challenge.
In her speech, Minister Maria Ubach thanked Guatemala for its contributions on the theme chosen for the next Summit: “A prosperous, sustainable and inclusive Ibero-America”. She also highlighted the progress made by SEGIB in several key areas, such as the strengthening of Ibero-American cooperation and actions related to academic mobility in Ibero-America, projects in which Ubach pointed out that Andorra actively participates.
The ministers also highlighted, during their meeting in Guatemala, the high visibility of Ibero-American cooperation thanks to the communication campaign “Diferentemente Iguales”, to which Andorra adhered last October.
During her stay in La Antigua, Minister Ubach met with the Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Alfonso Dastis, during a bilateral meeting. Ubach thanked Dastis for Spain’s support for the Andorran candidacy, and for Spanish support in the EU negociations’ process. The two counterparts discussed the state of Andorra’s negotiations with the European Union.
The minister also held a working meeting with the Colombian Minister for Foreign Affairs, María Ángela Holguín, to strengthen bilateral cooperation. The two ministers talked about the possible visit of Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos in Andorra, invited by the Head of Government, Antoni Martí, last September.
Text and photo: Govern d’Andorra
