The new Ambassador-Designate of the Kingdom of Spain has pledged his country’s allegiance to Saint Lucia, and promised that he will work with determination in promoting relations between the two states.

 Ambassador José Maria Fernández Lópex de Turiso made these comments Thursday, on the Occasion of the Presentation of Letters of Credence, at Government House, Castries.

"Saint Lucia will find in Spain a strong ally and a reliable partner, as my country is certainly one European state that is rooted in the western values of democracy and respect for human rights,” he said. “Spain has a special sensitivity towards the Caribbean and is able to defend the interests of the region in multilateral format.”

He added that it is Spain’s intention to expand bilateral relations with Saint Lucia in several areas.

“The first is the establishment of fruitful policy dialogue. We need enhanced cooperation in areas such as climate change, global health, energy, food security as well as the fight against illicit trafficking; and we aspire to have, with Saint Lucia, communication channels which will help us combine our efforts to cooperate better in these areas. We also share Saint Lucia’s concern for regional security, renewable energy issues, and tourism, and Spain has much experience in those areas.”

Deputy Governor General Dr. Emsco Remy thanked the Spanish ambassador for his country’s aid with previous programs established under the CARICOM-Spain Joint Fund for Cooperation, and expressed his gratitude at the partnership.

“We are reassured by Spain’s commitment to defend our interests through permanent political dialogue on matters of cooperation with the European Union and the United Nations,” Dr. Remy said.

“As a small island developing state, Saint Lucia has not been left unscathed by the negative effects of the global economic crisis and we are ever mindful of our vulnerabilities to the problems posed by globalization and climate change," he continued. "Technical cooperation programs in the fields of tourism and sustainable renewable energy, where Spain has had a long history of success and recent achievement, would be welcomed.”

His Excellency Ambassador José Maria Fernández Lópex de Turiso replaces the previous Spanish ambassador His Excellency Joaquin Maria de Aristegui Laborde.

Saint Lucia and the Kingdom of Spain first established diplomatic relations 28 years ago.