12 August 2013 – Philippine Ambassador to Spain Carlos C. Salinas participated in a roundtable discussion organized by the Universidad Internacional de Menendez Pelayo (UIMP) in Santander on August 02, in commemoration of the 500th anniversary of the European discovery of the Pacific Ocean.
The roundtable discussion, the highlight of the closing ceremony, was composed of Ambassador Salinas, Mexican Ambassador Francisco Javier Ramirez Acuña, Chilean Ambassador Sergio Romero Pizarro and Spanish Ambassador Pablo Bravo.
For his part, Ambassador Salinas recognized the works of Nuñez de Balboa, Magellan and El Cano in their expedition of the Pacific region which played an important part in the development of the region´s relations with other regions and countries, especially in the aspect of the economy. Ambassador Salinas also took the opportunity to give an update about our economic relations with Spain, as well as important economic developments in our country.
Prior to the roundtable discussion, there was a series of conferences held from July 31 to August 01, the speakers of which were composed of UIMP Professors, Government officials of Spain and Panama, representative from the Real Academia Española and European Bank of Investments.
The Course highlighted the importance of the Pacific region as the world´s economic center of gravity.
UIMP is a public university which was founded in 1932 which original name was International Summer University of Santander until 1949. UIMP headquarters is located at the Palacio de la Magdalena, which was the summer residence of the Kings of Spain between 1913 and 1930. UIMP is one of the prestigious summer universities in Europe, both for the prestige of the courses and seminars conducted by well-known members of the academe from Spain or from other countries. It is also known as the leading university in Spain which offers Spanish language and cultural courses for foreigners. END