Chronicle: The Kings in Andorra: the first State trip in the Covid era begins
Details: No bilateral agreements but to strengthen relations, this is how the trip of the Kings to Andorra will be
Agenda.Andorra, the first trip of the State of the Kings with Washington pending
«Andorra was a
host country for Spaniards
;
and I am referring particularly to tragic episodes, such as our
Civil War
”, with these words he changed into Spanish the speech that Don Felipe gave last night at the dinner offered by the co-princes in honor of the Kings and that had begun a few minutes before in Catalan.
As Don Felipe revealed in the first part of his words, the invitation was
extended in October 2016
but they have now traveled, after four and a half years, "finally,
after a very complicated period
," he confessed.
According to Zarzuela sources, Felipe VI referred to reasons unrelated to the Catalan independence process, although the invitation coincided in the month and year with the vote of the Parliament to
hold a referendum.
"That has not prevented the King from traveling anywhere, there have been other circumstances, including the pandemic," the same sources have clarified.
The King wanted to
remember the Spanish exiles
in the Pyrenean country, and recognized that "at that time, this country was a refuge and sometimes a land of final adoption for citizens of the two contending parties in that war."
Ten hours earlier, Felipe VI and Doña Letizia were fired with honors at the Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas airport to resume their international agenda.
This is the first trip of the State of the Kings since the pandemic began and it is, in addition, a destination to which no head of the Spanish State had officially traveled.
Of the 77,000 inhabitants, 27,000 are Spanish.
Furthermore, our country is
the main investor in Andorra.
However, until now the state visit, which is held a month before Don Felipe returns to the principality, had been postponed, as they will host the Ibero-American Summit.
The Kings greet those who have shown their affection on the streetCASA DE SM EL REY
The Kings traveled in a plane of the Spanish Air Force to Lleida.
There, they took a
helicopter
that landed in Andorra la Vella around twelve in the morning.
On a sunny and warm day, the arrival of Don Felipe and Doña Letizia seemed like a movie shot: the noise of the propellers echoed between the high mountains on which the capital of the principality is built.
Little by little, the helicopter descended.
From him the Kings got off,
accompanied by Minister
Arancha González-Laya.
A quarter of an hour later, the events began in the Casa de la Vall, the former seat of the Parliament of the principality.
The Kings were received with honors by Monsignor
Joan Enric Vives
, co-prince of Andorra and archbishop "ad personam" of Urgell, and by
Patrick Strzoda
, representative of Emmanuel Macron, French co-princes.
After visiting the interior of this historic building and greeting the Catalan Ombudsman, Meritxell Palmitjavila;
the secretary,
Josep Hinojora
and the presidents of the five parliamentary groups, the Kings drove the one hundred meters that separate the old parliament from the Comú, the City Hall.
Minutes before his arrival, a hundred onlookers had come to the square where the building is located, wanting to see the Monarch and his wife up close.
Some provided with flags, the
majority were Spaniards
who had been in the Principality for decades.
When they got off the official car, the onlookers broke into cheers and applause that the kings complimented with greetings.
They were received by
Conxita Marsol
, major consul, and
David Astrié
, minor consul of Andorra.
Majol regretted that due to the measures against the coronavirus, citizens could not be closer to the Kings.
Because Andorra seems to have more controlled the pandemic than Spain.
More than eleven thousand of its inhabitants
have
been infected and
114 people have died from the virus.
The Kings did not remove their mask all day.
Once inside the City Hall, they held a brief meeting before starting their separate agendas.
Don Felipe and Doña Letizia, received with honorsJ.
MARTÍNEFE
Queen Letizia went to the Andorra Park hotel to hold
a meeting on education
, one of the areas that has the most weight on her agenda.
Felipe VI's wife met with the Andorran Minister of Education, Ester Villarubla: the Director of Educational Systems and International Relations, Josep María Areny and the Director of Educational Quality and Human Resources Marie Pagés.
At the meeting, focusing on the model of inclusion of disability in the Andorran educational model, they explained to the Queen the system they have, in which three languages coexist.
The minister highlighted
the interest and knowledge
of Doña Letizia on this issue.
After a private lunch, Don Felipe was received by the President of the Government of Andorra,
Xavier Espot,
at the headquarters of the Government.
Their meeting was joined by González-Laya, the head of the Casa del Rey,
Jaime Alfonsín;
the Spanish ambassador to Andorra,
Àngel Ros
and the King's diplomatic advisor,
Alfonso Sanz Portolés.
In the evening, at the Andorra Park hotel, the co-princes offered a dinner of honor to the Kings.
Don Felipe, in addition to describing Andorra as a host country, highlighted
the excellent bilateral relations
that are maintained: "Spain is accompanying you in the negotiation of an Association Agreement with the European Union," said the King.
"Today Andorra is a parliamentary principality and, like Spain
, a fully democratic State of Law,
" he declared.
This phrase seemed an answer to Pablo Iglesias, who last February affirmed that Spain is not a "full democracy."
The King also empathized with the problems that the covid-19 has brought to the principality.
"Like Spain,
Andorra is also suffering
the effects of this global crisis
on its economy
," he said and acknowledged that tourism was one of the sectors most affected by both countries: "We are well aware of
the difficulty
that Andorra has to experience a winter season like this one, ”he said.
Don Felipe ended his speech by recalling the importance of the principality as a "generator pole of economic activity and work for the Pyrenean population" and asking "to
collaborate even more
" between Spain and Andorra.
After the speeches, the Kings dined at the main table with the co-princes, Cap de Governt and the president of the Parliament.
There were 38 people
invited to this appointment with Don Felipe and Doña Letizia, in which they tasted zucchini tartare with marinated scallop, dried tomato and black olive, wild sea bass with vegetables and puree and chocolate coulant with vanilla ice cream.
This Friday, March 26, the second and last day of the trip, the Kings have a
much less institutional
agenda
.
At ten in the morning they will visit the María Moliner Spanish school and meet the Spanish educational community in Andorra.
The Monarch and his wife will tour the facilities and have a meeting with children.
Afterwards, they will visit the church of Santa Coloma and its pre-Romanesque frescoes before
moving to the town of Ordino.
There they will have a private lunch and will close the first covid time trip with a visit to the Casa d'Areny Plandolit Museum.
According to the criteria of The Trust Project
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MONARCHIES Without bilateral agreements but to strengthen relations, this will be the trip of the Kings to Andorra
Casa Real Felipe VI and Queen Letizia resume their international agenda in Andorra
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