Prince and Princess of Asturias Visit Colombia: Last Day

On the last day of their visit to Colombia, May 29, Prince Felipe and Princess Letizia, accompanied by the Presidential Couple, traveled to Medellin to open the “V International Congress on Victims of Terrorism” which was attended by almost 2,000 people, including victims’ representatives from Spain, Ireland, Mexico, and Chile. Under the slogan “Colombia has right to the truth and to take memory” the congress’s main goal is to give voice to the victims in order that society not forget them.

After a minute of silence in memory of the victims, the Prince of Asturias thanked all of the people who day by day fight against terrorism, and he also encouraged the governments to support the victims. “The attempts suffered in the last years in different cities of the world demonstrate us that we are in a terrible problem of universal dimensions. So, the answer to this phenomenon must be also of international character, with the unit of all to fighting it” Prince Felipe said.

By his part President Uribe assured that almost the 50% of Colombians families have been direct victims of terror and thanked the Prince and Princess of Asturias for attending the congress and giving their support to Colombia. The Ceremony concluded with a lunch hosted by President Uribe in honor of the victims present in the congress; an official portrait of the participants was taken before the lunch.

In the arfternoon the Prince and the Princess of Asturias visited the Library Park Santo Domingo Savio, which was officially open by their Majesties the King and Queen of Spai in 2007. Felipe and Letizia contributed the library with 1,500 books which they brought from Spain.

In the evening the Royal Couple attended a dinner at Orquideorama hosted in their honor by the Medellin mayor, Alonso Salazar Jaramillo, and his wife, Marta Liliana Herrera. The Mayor presented to Felipe and Letizia, as a gift from the city, special portraits made of cristal with images of “silleteros”, symbol of the Antioquia culture.

Today the Prince and Princess had a private meeting at Rionegro (Colombian President Residence in Antioquia) with the Colombian President and his wife, Lina Moreno, and the Presidential couple of Mexico, Felipe Calderon and Margarita Zavala, whose are in Medellin to close the V International Congress on Victims of Terrorism. In the midday Felipe and Letizia left Colombia for El Salvador to attend on June 1-2 the new President’s Inauguration.

Filed under Spain
Tagged Colombia, Felipe VI of Spain, Official Visit, President Uribe of Colombia, Queen Letizia of Spain, Terrorism.