COMMUNICATION

The director general for External Action of the Regional Government of Extremadura, Pablo Hurtado, inaugurated the “5th International Congress on Relations Between Latin America, the Caribbean and Europe. Economy and International Conflicts” today, which was held at the Royal Monastery of Santa María de Guadalupe (Cáceres, Spain). (10/04/2024)

During his speech, the director general claimed that this congress is held at an opportune and relevant time “to reflect on the conflicts, balance of power and challenges that keep this world in grip”. In his view, there are currently moments of upheaval in which there is a decline of Western hegemony in favour of greater influence of the Asia-Pacific region, “although I’m hopeful because European values are still valid and we must use this tool to continue having world relevance”.

Pablo Hurtado highlighted the celebration of this congress in Extremadura because it is a region that bears its European character and its Ibero-American vocation. In this sense, he added that Extremadura is a peripheral European region united to Portugal through The Stripe, which it has been cooperating with for more than thirty years with great success. “Those same ties unite Latin America, the Caribbean and Europe and from this land we wish to continue nurturing them by having bridges of understanding and cooperation”, he stated.

Finally, the director general acknowledged the work carried out by Yuste Foundation, an institution that is “the spearhead of academic cooperation and the internationalisation of Extremadura”.

The inauguration of the congress was also attended by the professor of Public International Law and International Relations and director of the Centre for Ibero-American Studies (CEIB) of the Rey Juan Carlos University, Cástor Díaz Barrado, who affirmed that this Congress is a space for debate and reflection because, in his opinion, “in these regions that are deeply fragmented there must be a thread and the School of Guadalupe can be the perfect connection”.

The mayor of Guadalupe, José Miguel Martín Ramiro, and the guardian and custodian of the Royal Monastery of Santa María de Guadalupe, Brother Guillermo Cerrato, also participated in the inauguration of the congress.

One of the goals of this congress is to continue delving into the interaction that has been taking place between America and Europe over five centuries. It also seeks to prioritise research that studies this relationship, which has been shaping a historical reality in both spaces, confirmed in a cultural and material heritage that is in many cases common.

In this edition, the congress focuses on the analysis and debate on international conflicts that are stressing geopolitics and international relations and that influence the world economy, which finds itself in a more turbulent situation in this context.