Spain's King Urges Ibero-America to Unite to Meet Collective Challenges

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Spain's King Felipe VI on Monday called on the Ibero-American community to make history by taking advantage of its "cultural power" to improve a world that demands "collective responses."

Making needed changes through the "culture of cultures" was the idea at the heart of a meeting entitled "Rethinking Ibero-America: Building the Future," held as part of the 24th Ibero-American Summit that began Monday in this Mexican port city.

The cultural event was an opportunity for the king to stress the importance of cooperation among Ibero-American nations with a view to the future while always respecting their diversity, a fine sample of which was on display at the event in Veracruz's Teatro de la Reforma.

Latin American artists, musicians and writers performed and contributed their different points of view in brief appearances that climaxed with the awarding of Mexico Prizes for Science and Technology to scientists Juan Carlos Garcia from Chile, Victor Alberto Ramos from Argentina and Carlos Martinez Alonso from Spain.

"We're in a world where we have to form alliances, join forces and work together - we have to give collective responses to collective challenges," the king said onstage, accompanied by the presidents on hand: Mexico's Enrique Peña Nieto, Chile's Michelle Bachelet; Ollanta Humala from Peru, and Uruguay's Jose Mujica, along with the head of the Ibero-American Secretariat, Rebeca Grynspan.

The king noted the "institutional system" of Ibero-American nations, created by means of summits like the one beginning Monday in Veracruz, since they provide "a meeting place for sharing experiences, exchanging visions and projecting ourselves to the world."

For the Spanish monarch, the "best starter we have for doing that is the culture we share, founded on such human values as tolerance and solidarity with one another. We ought to make it pay."

Felipe VI is convinced that "if we work to strengthen and enrich our cultural power," using it to "multiply social and economic benefits" and to provide greater opportunities for students, creative people, scientists and entrepreneurs, the contribution of Ibero-America will be "historic" and can change the world. EFE

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