The 30th Ibero-American Summit opened in Madrid on Wednesday, with Argentine President Javier Milei and Chilean President José Antonio Kast among the leaders attending. Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum, Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Venezuela’s Delcy Rodríguez are not taking part.
The presidents of Bolivia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Portugal, the Dominican Republic and Andorra are also in Spain. Colombia, Ecuador and El Salvador have sent their vice presidents, while the other participating countries are represented by their foreign ministers.
Held under the slogan “Together we build community. Together we project it into the future and the world,” the summit aims to revive the Ibero-American forum after the 2024 gathering in Ecuador ended without an agreed political declaration and with limited attendance by heads of state and government. Spain’s government said on Tuesday that this year’s meeting had achieved its goal of renewing the summit format, with leaders from ten of the community’s 22 countries attending, including Spain.
Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares met his counterparts from the 22 invited countries on Wednesday morning, ahead of the summit’s official opening at Madrid’s Teatro Real at 7 p.m. He said the meeting sought to reaffirm the value of the Ibero-American community and its commitment to working together, adding that the region should make its voice heard in support of peace, dialogue, cooperation, international law and multilateral solutions.
Ibero-American Secretary-General Andrés Allamand said the results of the US midterm elections would affect Washington’s foreign policy and could give the region a more prominent role in a changing international landscape. He described the community as an increasingly important international actor.
The meeting of heads of state and government is scheduled for Thursday morning. UN Secretary-General António Guterres, European Council President António Costa and European Commission Vice-President Teresa Ribera are also due to participate.
Milei is returning to Madrid two weeks after calling Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez an “unpresentable dictator” during a previous visit. This time, his only scheduled activity outside the summit is a meeting with Vox leader Santiago Abascal on Wednesday evening.
Meanwhile, Madrid regional president Isabel Díaz Ayuso has met with Latin American right-wing leaders and awarded the region’s International Medal to Kast and Honduran President Nasry Asfura. Asfura is due to appear before the press on Thursday alongside Sánchez and Allamand at the close of the summit, as Honduras will host the next regional meeting.
Sources: elDiario.es.