Almeida presided over the second edition of the Madrid, Capital of Ibero-America Awards in El Retiro, honouring three recipients from Peru, Argentina, and Venezuela.
The Mayor of Madrid, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, presided over the second edition of the Madrid, Capital of Ibero-America Awards this Thursday at the Jardines de Cecilio Rodríguez in El Retiro park. The organisation is managed by the City Council of Madrid and the Business Council Alliance for Ibero-America (CEAPI). According to THE OBJECTIVE, the ceremony honoured Peruvian businessman Carlos Vargas Loret de Mola, Argentine writer Alejandro Roemmers, and Venezuelan journalist Miguel Henrique Otero.
The president of CEAPI, Núria Vilanova, who has lived in the capital for 37 years, opened the event and thanked the mayor for his commitment to Ibero-America. Vilanova highlighted the transformation of Madrid in recent decades and presented it as a meeting point for Latin American businesspeople, professionals, and cultural representatives.
Madrid is a great springboard for this,” Vilanova stated, referring to the expansion opportunities the capital offers to Ibero-American companies.
Juan Luis Cebrián, a member of the Royal Spanish Academy, presented the backgrounds of the three awardees and asserted that:
now, truly, the capital of Ibero-America is Madrid.
Cebrián also spoke about the political situation in Venezuela and the resilience of Miguel Henrique Otero against restrictions on press freedom. Moreover, he defended the Transition as an example of reconciliation and expressed his concern for Spanish democracy, which he described as:
quite ill.
Martínez-Almeida and Núria Vilanova presented the awards. The Business Initiative award went to Carlos Vargas Loret de Mola, CEO of Andino Investment Holding, a Peruvian group with a presence in Spain and Latin America. Vargas advocated for the need to move towards a common market between Spain and Ibero-America and pointed out that market growth should also improve citizens' well-being. His company has a cargo terminal at Barajas and is listed on BME Growth.
Miguel Henrique Otero, awarded in the Connection and Communication category, recalled that he had to leave Venezuela a decade ago. He is the editor president of El Nacional and explained that the newspaper continues its activity thanks to digital publishing. He expressed hope that Venezuela will hold free and transparent elections in 2027, although he warned of the existence of political prisoners, disqualifications of opposition leaders, and lack of legal guarantees for companies.
The Cultural Initiative award went to Argentine writer and businessman Alejandro Roemmers, who defined Madrid as a shared home between Spaniards and Latin Americans. Roemmers emphasised the Spanish language as a cultural link between both continents.
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