The mayor of Arrecife, Yonathan de León, and the deputy mayor, Echedey Eugenio, received the Minister of Universities, Science, Innovation and Culture of the Government of the Canary Islands, Migdalia Machín, this Wednesday.
The Canarian Minister was received at the municipal building and after signing the book of honors of the consistory and greeting the members of the Government Group, she held a working meeting with the mayor and the first deputy mayor, which was also attended by the Councilor for Culture, Abigaíl González, and the Councilor for Urban Planning and president of the Municipal Council for Cultural Heritage of Arrecife, Maciot Cabrera.
The mayor of Arrecife, Yonathan de León, stated that "we are working to create a free zone linked to the port and the blue economy, and we have asked the Minister to create an innovation center in the capital, which is part of this new strategic commitment of the capital."
Yonathan de León stressed that "Arrecife has a great future in the emerging sectors linked to the blue economy and we want this innovation center to be specialized in the new business fields that attract investments, and that will help to strengthen the island's economy and create new specialized jobs." The Canary Islands has a strategy in the blue economy, said the capital's mayor.
The first mayor recalled that this 2024 marks the 225th anniversary of the municipality of Arrecife "and we have asked the Minister to provide a budget item to carry out acts and events in our city throughout this year 2024".
Minister Migdalia Machín, highlighted "the fluid communication and close collaboration" between the Government of the Canary Islands and the Arrecife City Council in central issues for the municipality, in cultural, university and R&D&I matters.
In this last line, Machín highlighted one of the fundamental objectives of her department, which is to "promote and strengthen innovation and technology in the less populated islands, promoting public-private collaboration, as the transfer of knowledge to the business and social fabric is essential, to advance in competitiveness and in the creation of stable and qualified jobs."
In this sense, she announced that "we have already started working closely with the Government and the Arrecife City Council to promote innovation and science in the capital of the island".
Likewise, the Minister pointed out that the Government and the Department of Culture are working to reinforce the cultural actions of the municipality that disseminate and value the Canarian identity.
For his part, the deputy mayor, Echedey Eugenio, stressed the presence of Migdalia Machín in Arrecife and highlighted the monitoring of the Canarian representative to all issues related to the capital of the island. "We have her not only for issues related to her areas but we can count on Migdalia Machín, as a representative of the Government, for all those issues that concern us as residents of Arrecife".
In this way, Eugenio valued the teamwork that Machín is carrying out with the councilors of Culture and Heritage of the capital's Consistory. "These are important issues for a city that aspires to modernize, a city linked to promoting culture not only in the center but also in our neighborhoods, whose actions and advances the Minister knows very well since we are working hand in hand".
