From El País:
Prince Felipe met Vázquez
The Prince of Asturias met today the new elected president, Tabaré Vázquez, who will tomorrow take possession of his post, before the Legislative Assembly; an act in which Spain will be represented by Don Felipe and his wife, Doña Letizia. The Prince (who also met today the previous Chief of State, Jorge Batlle) individually gave both the Presidents handwritten messages from the King of Spain. Juan Carlos I congratulates Vázquez for his election, extending the greetings to all the Uruguayan people, for the democratic regularity how the process (through which a socialist president, candidate of the Coalición de Izquierda Frente Amplio, comes up for the first time in the history of Uruguay) took place.
At the meeting with the elected president, celebrated in a hotel of the capital, Don Felipe and Vázquez spoke during 40 minutes about the excellent bilateral relations between Spain and Uruguay, and the way to improve them in all fields.
As usual in this kind of acts, where the Heir to the Throne represents Spain, Don Felipe went to the headquarters of the Presidency, in the House of la Libertad, to meet the previous president, Jorge Batlle, whose taking of possession he also attended, in March 2000. Don Felipe, who has previously represented Spain in 33 takings of possession of Latin American presidents (three of the last ones accompanied by his wife, Doña Letizia), invited the elected president to visit Spain, and thanked for the treatment that he’s receiving from the Uruguayan people.
The Princes de Asturias arrived yesterday in Montevideo (coming from Brazil, where they spent five days in official visits) and hundreds of Uruguayans were waiting for them at the Independence Square, to welcome and greet them.
The welcoming given to the Princes is one more demonstration of the prestige Don Felipe enjoys in this continent, due to the assiduity how he travels to these countries (accompanied since the 22nd of May 2004, when he married Doña Letizia).
After the meetings of Don Felipe with the new and the previous presidents of Uruguay, the Princes of Asturias offered the Spanish community a reception at the embassy of Spain in Montevideo. The residence of the ambassador of Spain in Uruguay, Fernando Valderrama, was the place chosen for the lunch that Don Felipe and Doña Letizia had with the representatives of different Uruguayan sectors, among which there were members of the Church, University, finances, culture and NGOs.
The Princes yet got some time in their tight agenda, to know one the Spanish cooperation projects in Uruguay, related to the farming and forest sector. The Spanish Agency for International Cooperation (AECI) has given priority to this project, in order to evaluate and promote the agro-alimentary quality of meat and other products, respecting the quality standards asked by the European Union, as well as other productive systems of Uruguay.
From 2000 to 2005, Spain has destined 50 million euros of aid for development in Uruguay, mainly oriented to institutional fortification, cultural cooperation, scholarships of studies and microcredits.
Tonight, the previous president, Jorge Batlle, will offer a farewell reception to the representatives of the countries who went to Montevideo to attend the new taking of possession.
The Princes of Asturias will head the Spanish delegation, in which there will also be the Secretary of State for Foreign and Ibero-American Issues, Bernardino Leon.
Tomorrow the Princes will attend the acts of the taking of possession itself, before returning to Spain, at night.
