Spain-Jamaica relations growing from strength to strength

Celsa Nuño, GUEST COLUMNIST

"Diplomacy is the art of telling people to go to hell in such a way that they ask for directions."

This rather cynical quote is attributed to the great Winston Churchill.

I prefer to describe diplomacy as the art of identifying areas of common interest and mutual benefit between countries.

With this idea in mind, I arrived with my family nearly four years ago as the newly appointed ambassador of Spain to Jamaica. Soon enough, I was gently told how difficult it was going to be for me to live up to the expectations raised by my predecessor's outstanding performance.

Far from being discouraged by the challenge, I was more than pleased to hear of the high profile that Spain had acquired in Jamaica during his tenure.

My country, in fact, made the decision to place strategic importance on this region 15 years ago. A cooperation agreement was signed in 1999, and has seen Spain dedicating more than US$20 million to CARICOM member countries. Our heads of government have met at periodical intervals, the last and most recent occasion during the 35th Summit of CARICOM Heads of Government in Antigua and Barbuda on July 2.

Jamaica's great potential

Coupled with this growing political attention, leading Spanish companies saw great potential in Jamaica, invested heavily in the country and quickly became important sources of jobs and foreign currency. The promotion of business activity has been at the top of my priorities during my tenure.

The historic visit by King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofia in February 2009 remains a highlight in our bilateral relations, as much as Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller's visit to Madrid in 2007, where key contacts with the Spanish business sector were made.

During my tenure, our official cooperation has borne fruit in two important areas: health and agriculture. I was honoured to be part of the inauguration of the Queen Sofia of Spain Women's Centre by the prime minister on the auspicious occasion of the 60th anniversary of the vitally important Spanish Town Hospital. This building came as a sequel to the King Juan Carlos Wing. Dedicated to physiotherapy treatments post-discharge, the original building had been destroyed by a hurricane. The importance of health as a basic social need led to the decision by the Spanish Agency for Cooperation to totally reconstruct and equip the building, which was subsequently named after our former king.

Food security

Food security is another area of focus. Technical assistance in protected agriculture procedures and the donation of two highly sophisticated greenhouses, aim at assisting in the research for high-yielding, resilient and consistently good quality crops, with a view to reducing Jamaica's high food import bill.

In Jamaica, I have found in the Spanish private sector an excellent partner with whom I have worked closely in areas critical to the development of any nation, such as education.

As I reflect on the intense activity of these past years, which, alas, seem to have flown too fast for my liking, I think of the Holy Trinity Cathedral and the Spanish professor who generously restored the beautiful murals, of the artistes that performed at reduced fees and donated master classes, the scholarships for talented Edna Manley College students, on our workshops and scholarships for teachers committed to improving their Spanish, of support for football and tennis with social developmental objectives, and so many other projects undertaken during this period.

I came at a time of extreme economic hardship in Spain and I can easily sympathise with the difficulties Jamaicans are going through. Spain's economy is thankfully, finally starting to grow again, but it has been at the cost of many sacrifices. I encourage Jamaicans to face these challenging times with confidence and with a sense of unity.

Let me express my admiration for my team who never uttered a word of complaint despite being pushed extremely hard. In particular my gratitude to my Spanish collaborators at the embassy, who worked enthusiastically despite salary freezes and even downright salary cuts, holiday reductions and cancelled home-leave airfares.

As we prepare to leave Jamaica, I realise how emotionally unprepared we are for this move, seasoned diplomatic family as we are. We take with us huge amounts of goodwill and sincere expressions of friendship.

Celsa Nuño is the outgoing Spanish ambassador and president of The Spanish-Jamaican Foundation. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and emb.kingston@maec.es.