The king called this Friday for respect nourished in friendship by speaking of possible differences within the Ibero-American community, which, he added, is “unity in diversity, a culture of cultures”. “The center of our attention must be oriented towards the present in order to prepare or build an even better futureof greater shared benefit, greater opportunities”, added the monarch in his opening speech of the Meeting of Latin American Academies of History, organized by the Obra Pía de los Pizarro Foundation, in Trujillo (Cáceres ).
With the presence of academics from different Latin American countries, including Argentina, Mexico and Colombia, up to the 15 that make it up, Felipe VI emphasized that “the main thing is to gain momentum because it unites us, in our affinities, to finally reach accounts pragmatic, useful and balanced responses.
The king underlined the scientific spirit of this meeting of historians, “he who, free from prejudices and interestsallows us to analyze, interpret, agree or disagree, always based on the rigor and understanding of each historical context.”
An event attended, among others, by the Minister of Education, Pilar Alegría; the President of the Government of Extremadura, María Guardiola; the president of the Royal Academy of History, Carmen Iglesias, and the president of the Obra Pía de los Pizarro Foundation, Hernando de Orellana-Pizarro, as well as other political and academic authorities.
Felipe VI thanked the Royal Academy of History for having launched, in collaboration with the Academies of the American hemisphere, a space “to move forward together, to know and understand each other better and better, as societies and as a country.” “Culture is the rock on which our fraternity is built, the element which structures our identity”, explained the king; a message which was included in the conclusions of the meeting “Rethinking Ibero-America: building the future”, held in Veracruz in 2014.
The king concluded his speech with two verses from Octavio Paz: “Know how to break bread and distribute it in one common truth“and everyone else.”
