Malaysia and Spain share many similarities
Although the distance between our countries is 11,000km, the geographical separation has not made us distant friends.
TOMORROW, we celebrate the National Day of Spain, the modern, plural and open democracy that I am proud to represent in Malaysia.
This date commemorates the encounter between Europe and America more than five centuries ago and represents a historic milestone in Spain’s nation-building process.
This year marks as well the 500th anniversary of the first circumnavigation of the world by the expedition led by the Spanish navigator Juan Sebastian Elcano and the Portuguese Ferdinand Magellan, which crossed waters close to Malaysia.
Our world today is much smaller in practical terms. So, although the distance between Spain and Malaysia is 11,000km, the geographical separation has not made us distant friends.
Much to the contrary, Malaysia and Spain share some essential features that bring us together. Both are solid democracies, highly decentralised countries and multicultural and diverse societies.
Our bilateral relationship is in excellent shape. Spain and Malaysia established diplomatic relations 52 years ago, based on trust, collaboration and friendship.
I would like to emphasise, anyway, that these 52 years have only been the beginning of a long and promising path which we are building together every day.
As the universal Spanish poet Antonio Machado wrote in a very famous poem, caminante, no hay camino, se hace camino al
andar (wanderer, there is no path, the path is made by walking).
Indeed, throughout my short stay in Malaysia – I arrived last November – I noticed how much my fellow citizens, about 1,000 all across Malaysia, enjoy your friendship and share your aspirations for a better future, as well as how enthusiastic the Spanish companies are to work with their Malaysian partners and to look for new challenges.
We are on the right track, with around 50 Spanish companies established in Malaysia, this country being the first recipient of Spanish investment in the Asean region and with more than a 1,000 firms exporting to Malaysia and around RM7bil in annual bilateral trade.
However, there is still plenty of room for growth, if we take into consideration the size of both countries.
Many Spanish companies are world leaders in sectors such as engineering, transport, energy or manufacturing, providing state-ofthe-art technology, perfectly fit for the needs of the Malaysian economy.
Malaysian companies, in turn, are welcome to invest in Spain, whose economy has been growing steadily over the last few years, on solid macroeconomic foundations.
We must maximise our potential and seize new opportunities.
Besides that, we intend to boost people-to-people links in order to enhance mutual knowledge. Tourism between Spain and Malaysia is showing an upward trend in recent years.
More than 30,000 Malaysians visited Spain last year, to enjoy our monumental heritage, which includes a priceless Islamic cultural legacy, our landscapes and our delicious food.
And more than 50,000 Spaniards came to discover your fascinating traditions and the breath-taking beauty of Malaysia.
This is one of the reasons why we decided to enlarge our institutional presence in Malaysia, with the recent opening of the new Honorary Consulate of Spain in Kota Kinabalu.
Likewise, culture and education are of paramount importance for both countries. Together with other Spanish-speaking embassies in Malaysia, we are working with the Malaysian Ministry of Education to promote the learning of the Spanish language as well as the exchanges between Spanish and Malaysian universities.
Allow me, at this point, to elaborate a little more about Spain. Spain is a great European democracy, a fair and inclusive country and a world leader in equality, human rights and solidarity.
Democracy formally exists in Spain since 1978, when we approved our Constitution and these last 41 years have been, by far, the largest period of social progress and economic prosperity in the history of Spain.
Over these last four decades, Spain has established itself as a democratic State under the rule of law and as a country fully committed to the European project.
Today, Spain is a mature democracy which stands out worldwide as one of the countries with the highest territorial decentralisation and regional self-governance.
We are very fortunate to have different cultures and co-official languages that reflect our rich diversity and plurality.
Spain has gained enormously too in terms of global presence, reputation and credibility, participating very actively in the international arena and keeping a firm commitment to multilateralism and the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
This is, in a nutshell, the real Spain. A world reference in gender equality and sustainability, an advanced cosmopolitan country that looks forward to further narrowing its relationship with Malaysia.
Dear Malaysian readers, let me finish by stating, in this sense, that when it comes to the Malaysian-Spanish friendship, I am totally convinced that the best is yet to come.
Dear Malaysian readers, let me finish by stating, in this sense, that when it comes to the Malaysian-Spanish friendship, I am totally convinced that the best is yet to come.
Jose Miguel Corvinos Lafuente