King Felipe VI highlights the humanity of the professionals who care for migrants

In addition, after receiving the Gold Medal from the Parliament of the Canary Islands, the head of state admitted to "feeling admiration for the people of the Canary Islands for uniting even more in the face of difficulties"

EFE

September 19 2024 (18:59 WEST)
King Felipe VI
King Felipe VI

The King of Spain, Felipe VI, highlighted this Thursday the humanity of the volunteers and professionals who care for the people who arrive in the Canary Islands "stripped of everything".

King Felipe VI, after receiving the Gold Medal from the Parliament of the Canary Islands in Tenerife, referred in his speech to the images of the volunteers and professionals, "who teach us so much", while admitting his admiration for the people of the Canary Islands who, he said, unite even more in the face of difficulties and it is then that they give their best.

As he highlighted, the example of overcoming difficulties by the people of the Canary Islands has also been seen when the fire devastated forests in Tenerife, Gran Canaria or La Gomera, or when the volcano in La Palma, whose eruption marks three years this Thursday, swept away crops, homes, schools, churches and entire neighborhoods, he recalled.

The Canary Islands "with its geography, character and culture, Spanish and European", embraces the shores of America and Africa, which marks its identity and makes Spain and Europe "more open to the world and the future", assured the king, who commented that the archipelago unites peoples and continents and that the Atlantic defines the way of being of the islands.

In addition to thanking the people of the Canary Islands for the recognition of having given him the Gold Medal of the Canary Islands Parliament, he pointed out that although the Canary Islands is, geographically, the national territory furthest from the peninsula, this distance is "only physical".

In his opinion, the Canary Islands and its institutions face challenges in their daily work, such as diversifying the economy, promoting entrepreneurship and innovation, providing quality public services, promoting the energy transition, protecting the environment, conserving and publicizing the natural and historical heritage to visitors, creating a future of opportunities for young people and a care network for the elderly and those who need it most.

"Building a better society is an always unfinished task, a constant learning process," said the king, who indicated that this requires knowledge, audacity, energy, balance, curiosity and innovation capacity, values that the Canarian society has, he added.

In addition, he highlighted in his speech the skies of the Canary Islands, "a source of knowledge for researchers from all over the world" through the Astrophysical Institute of the Canary Islands.

For the king, the Gold Medal of the Canarian Parliament is "a symbol of his respect and affection, but also a commitment" and "the smile, the handshake and the embrace of the Canarian people" that he has recognized that he will always have in his heart.

The king arrived at the Parliament of the Canary Islands accompanied by the Minister of the Presidency, Justice and Relations with the Courts, Félix Bolaños, and was received by the President of the Canary Islands, Fernando Clavijo, the President of the Parliament of the Canary Islands, Astrid Pérez, the President of the Cabildo of Tenerife, Rosa Dávila, and the Mayor of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, José Manuel Bermúdez, among other authorities.

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