02.15.2010
Presentation of the Foundation's draft constitution
Antonio Garrigues presents the draft to the Foreign Ministers of Spain and Australia, Miguel Ángel Moratinos and Stephen Smith respectively.
Antonio Garrigues presented the Spain-Australia Council Foundation's draft to mark the visit to Spain by the Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith. The Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Miguel Ángel Moratinos, was also in attendance.
The Spain Australia Council Foundation aims to build on the government's momentum and commitments from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Industry, Science and Innovation and Culture to grow Spain's presence in the Asia-Pacific, and to support the internationalisation of its companies and project its language and culture.
The Foundation is part of the Council Foundations network, which are managed through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation and are a product of private initiative with a collective, multidisciplinary focus.
It is also a response to the commitment made in a bilateral joint statement to mark the visit to Australia by the King and Queen of Spain in June 2009.
Antonio Garrigues, involved throughout much of the Council Foundations network as a Patron, has also held the presidency of the United States and Japanese Council Foundations.
Both ministers agreed at the meeting to increase collaboration on the development of joint programs in Latin American and the Caribbean. The meeting also analysed the growing collaboration between Australian authorities and the companies Navantia and EADS-CASA, which are working on important projects for the Australian Armed Forces.
Minister Moratinos used the meeting to go over some of the topics of interest on the European agenda, to coincide with Spain's six-month presidency of the Council of the European Union.
