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Queen presides at delivery prizes Queen Sofía Institute in New York
The Queen Sofia presided this night at the dinner of show in which they submitted of the golden medals of the Queen Sofía Spanish Institute of New York, which this year Julio Iglesias, Henry Kissinguer and Beatriz Santo Domingo received.
' It seems that it was yesterday when I received the medal of special gold with which the fiftieth anniversary of the Institute was celebrated ', said the Queen in a speech in which she remembered that from ride at the time her name the entity, which before was called Spanish Institute.
After underlining the merits of rewarded of this year, the Queen of Spain emphasized the labor that realizes the institution ' to stimulate the political and cultural bows between The United States and Spain, and a better knowledge of the Latin-American culture in this country '.
Besides the awardwinners, at the dinner, which was celebrated in a luxurious hotel of the Fifth Avenue, there were present approximately 550 persons, who in the great majority paid donations of between 1.000 and 50.000 dollars for cutlery.
Between the North American assistants there were the mayor of New York, Michael Bloomberg, the singer Liza Minelli and the politics Hillary Clinton, who in a few brief words appeared that ' it is not exaggerated when one speaks about the importance of the Hispanic culture in our country '.
' The relation of The United States with Spain and Latin America must be taken care, and in this sense the task that realizes this institute does more tolerant to our country ', added the wife of the American ex-president Bill Clinton.
For his part, Kissinguer expressed his admiration for the Queen Sophia and emphasized ' the crucial role that nowadays interprets Spain thanks to her historical past '.
The singer Julio Iglesias was grateful for the grant of the recognition, and also he underlined the work of the Institute, ' to cross the borders ' between Spain and the USA.
The tailors Oscar de la Renta and Carolina Herrera, the former Colombian president, Andrés Pastrana, and the Spanish ex-minister of Exteriors and current ambassador in Washington, Carlos Westendorp, appeared between the Spanish and Latin-American present personalities forthwith.
Likewise there represented the president of the Valencian community, Francisco Camps - of visit in the city-, and the bullfighters Enrique Ponce and Michael Baez 'Litri', with his respective wives, as well as the model Estefanía Luik.
The award rewards every year to personalities that propitiate with their work the knowledge of the Hispanic culture in the USA.
In previous editions it there received Santiago Calatrava, Plácido Domingo, Carolina Herrera, Jesus Polanco, Valentín Fuster, Javier Perez de Cuellar, Montserrat Caballé, Pasqual Maragall, Jose Carreras, Severo Ochoa, Andrés Segovia and Henry Ford II, between others.
The dinner of show in which the prizes are delivered supposes the principal act of the annual calendar of activities of the institution.
Between other activities, The Queen Sofia Spanish Institute develops programs of education of Spanish, and summons from time to time conferences, round tables, publishing presentations and artistic exhibitions.
Presided at present by Inmaculate Conception of Hapsburg, the entity possesses the presidency of Oscar de la Renta's honor and it was founded in 1954 by Spanish Institute's name, with the aim to stimulate the diffusion of the Hispanic culture in this country.
The Queen Sofía Spanish Institute is financed by donations and funds of public and private institutions.
