The 27th Ibero-American Summit of Heads of State and Government was inaugurated Wednesday morning in the principality of Andorra, the tiny country in the Pyrenees mountain range.
Andorra la Vella.- The meeting is taking place with the physical presence of representatives of five of the 23 countries that make up the regional group. Others are joining the Summit virtually - online.
The Head of Government of Andorra (a country under the shared guardianship of France and Spain), Xavier Espot inaugurated the meeting, originally scheduled for a year ago, but then delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and held, ultimately, in a semi-presential format as most of the heads of state will do it online this day.
In Soldeu, Andorra, the King of Spain, Felipe VI, and the presidents of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez; of Guatemala, Alejandro Giammattei; of the Dominican Republic, Luis Abinader; and of Portugal, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, together with the Portuguese Prime Minister, António Costa, who were received by the Episcopal co-prince, Joan-Enric Vives; the representative of the French co-prince, Patrick Strzoda; Xavier Espot himself; and the Ibero-American secretary-general, Rebeca Grynspan.
In his inaugural speech, Xavier Espot vindicated the "essential role" of multilateral forums, especially in the face of challenges such as climate change or the COVID-19 pandemic, while claiming the role of Andorra, the smallest country in the Ibero-American region, to contribute its specificities and offer its experience to other countries in areas such as education, the inclusion of people with disabilities, among others.
Meanwhile, Grynspan thanked Andorra for its efforts to carry out the Ibero-American Summit despite the difficulties caused by the pandemic, especially when it came to digitizing the event and adapting the format to online.
The main event of the summit will be the Plenary Meeting of Heads of State and Government with the participation of the representatives of 22 countries, which is taking place this Wednesday afternoon. It has already been announced that the presidents of El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Venezuela will not take part.
CUBA TO SHOWCASE INNOVATIVE RESULTS
Officials from Cuba's Ministry of Science, Technology, and Environment (CITMA) said the country will showcase its favorable results in the implementation of innovation for sustainable development during the XXVII Ibero-American Summit of Heads of States and Government to be held virtually this Wednesday.
CITMA Minister Elba Rosa Pérez will participate in the event's discussions and will refer to the strengthening of the regulatory and institutional framework for science, technology, and innovation on the Caribbean island through the approval of public policies related to this area.
Ruberdamis Tamayo Portales, director of Technology and Innovation at CITMA, mentioned among the achievements the creation of four high-tech companies and two science and technology parks and the increased linkage of universities with science technology and innovation entities and companies.
"In the current pandemic, Cuba has demonstrated the capacity of its national system through a set of innovations, among which are the five vaccine candidates against COVID-19, the production of drugs and equipment for the treatment of the disease, and the implementation of procedures and protocols for patient care," he said.
For his part, Jesús Guerra Bell, a specialist from CITMA's International Relations Directorate, pointed out that, nevertheless, the hostile actions of the United States towards Cuba, whose fundamental tool is the economic, commercial, and financial blockade, threaten these purposes.
The Ibero-American community recognized the need for international financing in the face of environmental difficulties and the crucial importance of respecting the right to development among countries and the deployment of cooperation. (RHC)
