August 26, 2022, 18:03 PM
August 26, 2022, 18:03 PM
The president of the Spanish government, Pedro Sánchez, announced this Friday in Honduras greater support for Central America, a region hit by poverty, in the face of the problems left by the covid-19 pandemic and the conflict between Ukraine and Russia.
“This visit also represents my desire to deepen regional cooperation with the Central American countries,” said Sánchez in a joint press appearance with the president, Xiomara Castro, at the Presidential House in Tegucigalpa.
He recalled that Spain has for decades maintained a “firm, resounding, constant commitment to Central America, accompanying its institutional socioeconomic development, supporting its regional integration process.”
“We are going to continue alongside the Central American countries to go further along the path of peace, democracy, freedom, development,” he promised.
Sánchez said that he signed a memorandum of understanding with Castro “to promote health cooperation between the two countries and thus strengthen the health system, which is, I think, one of the main lessons we have to learn from this pandemic”.
With Castro “we share an aspiration and it is achieve an economic recovery that is just, that is inclusiveafter this serious health crisis caused by the covid-19 virus,” Sánchez said.
He indicated that this recovery must protect economic growth, job creation, families, “companies in the face of the uncertainty generated by Putin and his invasion of Ukraine.”
He stressed that companies that have been working in Honduras for a long time told him, in a meeting, “their desire to continue (…) investing and continuing to contribute to sustainable development” in this country.
remembered that with Honduras an agreement has already existed since last year that is “a true milestone”, which launched “a circular migration pilot project with Honduraswhich has materialized with the arrival of a first contingent of 250 workers this year 2022 to participate in agricultural campaigns in Spain”.
Thousands of people migrate annually from Central America, fleeing poverty and violence, in search of better living conditions, and trying to reach the United States. Spain is the second destination of the Honduran diaspora, after the United States.
President Castro thanked President Sánchez “and his commitment to the search for development and social peace.”
Sánchez was previously in Colombia, where he expressed his support for the resumption of dialogue between the government and the ELN, which had been suspended for four years.
He also visited Ecuador, where he said he aspired to strengthen ties with the continent. Ecuador will host the Ibero-American summit in 2024.
