A summit delayed by the pandemic has focused its attention on the post-pandemic recovery scenario. | Photo: EFE

Andorra la Vella, April 21 (RHC)-- The 27th Ibero-American Summit of Heads of State and Government was inaugurated Wednesday morning in the principality of Andorra, the tiny country in the Pyrenees mountain range.  The meeting is taking place with the physical presence of representatives of five of the 23 countries that make up the regional group.  Others are joining the Summit virtually -- on-line.

The Head of Government of Andorra (a country under the shared guardianship of France and Spain), Xavier Espot inaugurated the meeting, originally scheduled for a year ago, but then delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and held, ultimately, in a semi-presential format as most of the heads of state will do it online this day.

In Soldeu, Andorra, the King of Spain, Felipe VI, and the presidents of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez; of Guatemala, Alejandro Giammattei; of the Dominican Republic, Luis Abinader; and of Portugal, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, together with the Portuguese Prime Minister, António Costa, who were received by the Episcopal co-prince, Joan-Enric Vives; the representative of the French co-prince, Patrick Strzoda; Xavier Espot himself; and the Ibero-American secretary general, Rebeca Grynspan. 

In his inaugural speech, Xavier Espot vindicated the "essential role" of multilateral forums, especially in the face of challenges such as climate change or the COVID-19 pandemic, while claiming the role of Andorra, the smallest country in the Ibero-American region, to contribute its specificities and offer its experience to other countries in areas such as education, inclusion of people with disabilities, among others. 

Meanwhile, Grynspan thanked Andorra for its efforts to carry out the Ibero-American Summit despite the difficulties caused by the pandemic, especially when it came to digitizing the event and adapting the format to on-line.

The main event of the summit will be the Plenary Meeting of Heads of State and Government with the participation of the representatives of 22 countries, which is taking place this Wednesday afternoon.  It has already been announced that the presidents of El Salvador, Nicaragua and Venezuela will not take part.