Saudi Arabia and Spain share cherished, valued and special bonds and their strong ties have created a unique relationship between our countries and peoples. Suffice to say there is a long period of common history, with the deep traces of the Arab presence in Spain over the centuries reflected in its architecture, monuments, Spanish language, geography and even music, as well as the remarkable closeness that exists between the two royal houses. Since the birth of the modern Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, under the leadership of King Abdulaziz, the contacts have increased and progressed and the relationship has become stronger. The mutual sympathy among our peoples has grown to a new level of commitment. We want to appeal to these solid foundations when building our shared future. Saudi Arabia has embarked on a promising and fascinating voyage under the framework of Vision 2030. Spain, a friendly and close country, wants to accompany Saudis in this adventure, standing ready to make its contribution and support them in achieving their ambitious goals. Spain is pleased that every member of Saudi society is committed to achieving Vision 2030 and looks forward to being part of this great transformation. We can offer a number of ideas and projects to develop economic cooperation in energy, water, technology, tourism, education, infrastructure and the environment, to name but a few. Allow me to refer specifically to the importance of our economic relations in the present moment. We are happy to see that the presence of Saudi companies and the volume of Saudi investments in Spain have grown and advanced in the last few years. At the same time, in recent decades, new Spanish firms have joined a large number of enterprises operating in the Kingdom. The situation would be very different without these companies and their faith and hope in the future of the country. Let me pay due homage to the men and women working in these firms and living in Saudi Arabia for their incredible contribution to the richness and strength of our bilateral relationship. Moreover, I would like to highlight the expertise and seriousness of our entrepreneurs and the complexity of the tasks they are performing in the Kingdom.I would also like to express my satisfaction with the work of the Saudi-Spanish Business Council after the reforms recently introduced in the structure of this institution and the approval of a new action plan. This initiative has built confidence in developing new opportunities for cooperation and the continuous review of what has already been done and where more improvements can be made. Subsequently, having strengthened and consolidated our presence in the traditional sectors where we have been particularly active — public infrastructure, engineering design, shipbuilding and architecture — we are now exploring opportunities for collaboration in sectors such as tourism, culture, entertainment and sports. The chronicle of past years has shown that the present and future of our world is full of challenges of various kinds. It is therefore extremely important that Saudi Arabia and Spain join forces at the bilateral and multilateral levels to constructively address global challenges. This shared vision of a better future, aimed at easing global tensions that threaten international peace and security, will strengthen our fraternal relationships, which not only unite our royal houses but also reinforce our people-to-people bonds. Last but not least, Spain has assumed the presidency of the Council of the European Union for the second semester of 2023. During our presidency, we will continue supporting Ukraine and denouncing the war of aggression launched by the Russian Federation against that country in violation of international law and the UN Charter. We will continue acting to convince our friends that this is not only a European matter, but an essential issue that affects all members of the international community. We will also continue working to broaden and deepen the EU’s engagement with the Gulf Cooperation Council and its member countries, as we have seen in the ministerial meeting held recently in Muscat, Oman.