MÉRIDA, Yucatan, March 20, 2023.- Mayor Renán Barrera Concha received a visit from the Spanish Ambassador to Mexico, Juan Duarte Cuadrado, to learn about possible areas of cooperation between Spain and Mérida.
The ambassador highlighted the potential that the Yucatecan capital has to attract more tourism and Spanish investment and stressed that Merida’s security is a guarantee to promote this city not only in tourism but also in academic exchange and even successful programs.
“The relationship between Spain and Merida is historic, so we seek to strengthen it through actions that allow us to promote cooperation in different areas,” said the Municipal President.
At the meeting, which took place in the Municipal Presidency Hall, the Ambassador expressed his interest in working in coordination with the City of Merida to promote the city as a tourist destination among Spaniards and to increase the number of flights, especially in the summer when there is more movement.
In the area of security, it was proposed that the Spanish Police offer training courses to the Municipal Police of Merida and advice on the eradication of gender violence, like the training they are currently providing to the Mexico City Prosecutor’s Office.
In cultural matters, the Ambassador proposed to bring a traveling digital exhibition with works from the Prado Museum and to open the cultural center that Spain has in Mexico City so that Yucatecan artists can exhibit their works.
On the other hand, Barrera Concha pointed out that as Mayor he has received requests from citizens who wish to study in Spain, so he suggested the possibility of making more agreements between the European country and Merida.
“In fact, we would also like Merida’s universities to give Spanish students the opportunity to come and study in this city. I think it would be a very interesting and enriching academic exchange,” said the Spanish Ambassador to Mexico.
During the talk, the Mayor pointed out that Merida is home to some 125,000 foreign migrants of 96 nationalities, mostly from the United States, Cuba, Venezuela, Colombia and Spain. There are also 125 thousand more migrants from different parts of the country.
“For this reason, we have a department dedicated to migrants to support them and to integrate them harmoniously to our city,” he added.
In that sense, the Ambassador of Spain in Mexico informed that they likewise have programs related to support for migrants, which he makes available to the City Council.
“In addition, we are financing the promotion of the indigenous language through training programs for interpreters, to provide this service to those who do not speak Spanish and are involved in some legal situation, in order to protect their rights and their legal situation,” he said.
Regarding the promotion of Spanish investment in Merida, the Ambassador invited the Mayor to visit him in Mexico so that potential investors could learn about Merida’s competitive advantages.
In this regard, the Mayor highlighted the most important works that the federal, state and municipal governments are currently carrying out, such as the new IE-Tram urban transportation system, the Tren Maya station that will be located in the Gran Parque de La Plancha and the gastronomic tourist corridor on 47th Street, which will connect Paseo de Montejo with La Plancha.
Finally, the Municipal President was accompanied during the visit by Diana Canto Moreno, Municipal Trustee and the directors Irving Berlín Villafaña, of Culture and José Luis Martínez Semerena, of Economic Development and Tourism.
TYT Newsroom
