On the one hand, this day recalls the strong ties between Spain and the Latin American countries — this special relationship acquires more relevance these days with the celebration of the bicentenary of the independence of the Latin American Republics, festivities celebrated with the active collaboration of Spain — on the other hand, the National Day is a reference for all Spanish citizens who live in Spain, an open, modern and democratic country.
Their majesties the king and the queen of Spain are the symbol of our unity, which also includes the 6 million immigrants who have helped develop our country, considered the tenth economy in the world.
In recent years, Spain has seen spectacular economic growth and its multinational companies are present in all world markets. From a cultural perspective, Spain has created a culture with a universal language, Spanish, that is spoken by over 450 million people.
In the field of sports, Spain is a country that has reached the highest summits in recent years. We recall the recent Football World Cup championship and the success of our tennis player Rafael Nadal or the Formula 1 driver Fernando Alonso. These successes are a reflection of a dynamic and competitive society in the world. Likewise, we remain an open country that receives every year many millions of tourists who enjoy its hospitality, culture, beaches and gastronomy.
Our presence in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is becoming more intense and is based on the brotherly relations between the two royal families. Our foreign policy is consistent with that of Saudi Arabia on the main issues that concern the world today, especially the peace process in the Middle East. The excellent relations between our two countries have developed into deep cooperation in diverse areas, channeled through numerous agreements such as the Treaty of Friendship between Saudi Arabia and Spain and the General Agreement on Economic Cooperation. Also, I wish to stress on the high exchange of visits at the highest level that has been occurring in recent years and that shows once again the degree of understanding and cooperation between the two kingdoms.
Spain is proud of having hosted, in June 2008, an international meeting for presenting the initiative of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, the Interfaith Dialogue, that gathered representatives of major world religions. We have also welcomed enthusiastically the initiative for the creation of the King Abdullah Center for the Intercultural and Interreligious Dialogue in Vienna. Our country will be a founding party of this project whose aims are always present in the values that our foreign policy defends.
Similarly, we are especially proud of the high number of Saudis citizens who visit Spain every year for leisure, cultural, education or business purposes. We are especially pleased to know that a large number of Saudi citizens own houses in our country, thus making Spain their second home.
There is a growing interest in establishing closer ties between enterprises of both countries and there is also a great interest in the Spanish language and culture. I would like, in this regard, to highlight the excellent work carried out by the Spanish Department at King Saud University.
In addition to this, the Saudi-Spanish Friendship Association, an initiative forged by people interested in Spain, organizes cultural activities; trips to Spain, gastronomic events and other activities with the aim to better understand the Spanish reality. As ambassador of Spain I want to encourage Saudi citizens to support this association and eventually join in.
Finally, I take the opportunity to send my warmest greetings to all the Spanish residents in the Kingdom who are collaborating with the development of Saudi Arabia. Also, I would like to send my most affectionate salutation to all Saudi citizens and expatriates who have been showing their affection and support to my country.
