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PRESIDENT Arroyo begins a three-day state visit to Spain
today which is expected to expand investments in tourism
and renewable energy, among others.
Press
Secretary Ignacio Bunye said in his weekly news column,
“The View from the Palace,” that the President would be
only the second Philippine president to go on a state
visit to Spain after the late President Diosdado
Macapagal.
Her
visit marks the 60th anniversary of Philippines-Spain
diplomatic relations and “affirms the historic and
cultural ties of Spain and the Philippines, and
solidifies our dynamic bilateral relationship,” Bunye
said.
“Our
country currently receives the bulk of Spanish
development assistance to the region. Some of our
strongest trade and business ties with Spain are in the
tourism, renewable energy and environmental technology,
construction and medical services sectors. There is also
an opportunity to expand investment in these areas,”
Bunye said.
Spanish
businessmen may also be interested, Bunye added, in
considering investments in the
Philippines’
information and communications technology,
infrastructure and logistics sectors.
The
President embarked on her three-nation trip to France,
Spain and the United Kingdom on Saturday night, and
arrived the following day in
Pau,
France,
to hear mass at the Lourdes Grotto.
Mrs.
Arroyo left
France
for Madrid, Spain, that same day to meet with members of
the Filipino community.
During
her state visit, the President will meet with Prime
Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, King Juan Carlos
I and Queen Sofia, and Spanish businessmen and
lawmakers; and address the Spanish-Philippine Business
Forum.
On
December 5, she will fly from
Vitoria
to London for an overnight official trip that will
include a meeting with Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham
Palace, parliamentarians, and London-based businessmen
including steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal, president and
chief operating officer of Arcelor Mittal.
She will
return to
Spain
on December 6 for another series of activities in
Sevilla and Almonte, where she will inaugurate the
Spanish-Philippine Cultural center. On December 8 and 9,
the President will be in Cordoba and Granada.
The
President will be back in
Manila
on December 10. |
