The president of the Parliament of the Canary Islands, Astrid Pérez, has presented the King of Spain, Felipe VI, with the Gold Medal of the institution, a distinction that represents "the most sincere loyalty and gratitude of the Canary Islands people" to the head of State, she said.
The King has shown his gratitude for this Medal, which he receives as a "symbol of respect and affection" from the Canary Islands people and as a commitment that he assumes with the present and with the future of the Canary Islands.
The event was held in the plenary hall of the Parliament of the Canary Islands, with the attendance of the deputies, as well as the president of the Canary Islands, Fernando Clavijo, and the Minister of the Presidency, Justice and Relations with the Courts, Félix Bolaños, among other authorities.
In her speech, Astrid Pérez told the King that this medal shows the highest consideration, affection and respect of the Canary Islands people for the Royal House, coinciding with the first decade of the reign of Felipe VI, in which the King "has set an example of integrity, honesty and transparency".
In these ten years, the King has participated in more than fifty official events on the islands, which highlights his closeness to the Canary Islands; "we have felt his affection, his encouragement and his support," she told the King.
"The Crown is a source of inspiration for society" and an institution necessary to guarantee the values on which the democratic system is based, said Astrid Pérez, who praised the role of Felipe VI in the defense of a democratic and constitutional Spain, promoting understanding and coexistence in a plural and diverse nation.
The Canary Islands have always been able to count on the support, closeness, sympathy and solidarity of the Royal House in complicated moments, such as the eruption of the La Palma volcano or the great forest fires of Gran Canaria and Tenerife, recalled the president of the Parliament.
Astrid Pérez conveyed to the King that the Canary archipelago suffers from distance and insularity like no other territory, as well as "the worst migratory crisis in our history", a humanitarian drama that requires the determined support of the Spanish State and Europe.
The Gold Medal of the Parliament of the Canary Islands is an honorary recognition of Felipe VI, "a commitment to our history and our monarchy", a commitment that "we are convinced that one day the Canary Islands will also renew with Princess Leonor".
"With this gold medal we thank you for your contribution to progress, stability and coexistence in the Canary Islands and in Spain and your important role in the consolidation of democracy," she said.
In later statements to the media, the president of the Parliament has admitted that this has been one of the most emotional days for her and that it has been an honor to present the medal to the King who, in her opinion, is a "person very worried, very sensitive to the Canary Islands" who has always been in the good times and in the bad times.
She recalled that in the ten years of the King's mandate he has been in more than half a dozen events in the Canary Islands and recalled that he was "very supportive" when the eruption occurred in La Palma.
For all this, she added, "the King deserved that the Canary Islands give him this recognition", the highest that the Parliament of the Canary Islands grants.
