Queen of Spain will visit Paraguay to observe cooperation projects

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The Queen’s trip will include a visit to the former Jesuit missions in southern Paraguay, where the Spanish government is developing several cooperation projects.

The Queen will be accompanied by Spain’s Secretary of State for International Cooperation Pilar Cancela Rodríguez, the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Tuesday.

Her trip to Paraguay was announced in early October by Paraguayan Foreign Minister Euclides Acevedo, following the handover of credentials to the new Spanish ambassador to the South American country Carmen Castiella.

Acevedo announced that the agenda also includes a meeting with Paraguayan first lady Silvana Lopez.

“She is coming to strengthen cooperation ties not only in the economic area, but especially in the cultural field,” said the Paraguayan Foreign Minister.

Spain is the European Union’s main cooperating partner in Paraguay and has sent a large share of the 1 million vaccines against Covid-19 announced by Spanish President Pedro Sánchez at the last Ibero-American Summit in April, out of the total of 7 million intended for Latin America and the Caribbean.

The last shipment landed in Paraguay in late September, a total of 316,800 AstraZeneca doses.

In addition to the shipment of vaccines as part of the Covax program, Spain and Paraguay signed a bilateral agreement last year on cooperation for the development of strategic priorities, with a budget estimate of €142 million (US$165 million) in projects to fight hunger, promote health and welfare, quality education, gender equality, drinking water and sanitation, among others.