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Farewell Party for Mali, Spain Envoys

Farewell Party for Mali, Spain Envoys

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MOFAIC) conducted a farewell ceremony for the Ambassador of Mali to the UAE and Ambassador of Spain to the UAE…reports Asian Lite News

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MOFAIC) today held a farewell ceremony at the Emirates Palace Hotel for Boukary Sidibe, Ambassador of Mali to the UAE, and Antonio Álvarez Barthe, Ambassador of Spain to the UAE, to commemorate the end of their terms as ambassadors of their countries.

At the start of the ceremony, Aliaa Al Mehrezi, Assistant Under-Secretary of the Ministry for Protocol Affairs, made a speech commending the distinguished efforts of both ambassadors to enhance relations between their countries and the UAE while wishing them luck and success in their future endeavours.

Farewell Party for Mali, Spain Envoys

She conveyed the appreciation of H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, for them and his best wishes in their future assignments.

ALSO READ: Investor Lauds ‘business-friendly UAE’

The two ambassadors thanked the Emirati officials and hailed the wise policy of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

The two diplomats highlighted the most important achievements accomplished between their respective countries and the UAE in all domains.

Farewell Party for Mali, Spain Envoys

They also praised the developing bilateral ties between the UAE and their respective countries and thanked Emirati officials for their cooperation and support, which contributed positively to their assignment of enhancing the distinguished ties between their countries and the UAE.

The event was attended by Arab and foreign diplomats and officials from the ministry.

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-Top News Europe Travel & Tourism

Spain lures tourists with new slogans

The campaigns come with lively promotional videos running in Spanish and English that highlight some of the unique attractions of each city…reports Asian Lite News.

Madrid and Barcelona, the two largest cities in Spain, have launched promotion campaigns to lure back international tourists as the Covid-19 restrictions in the country were now being relaxed.

“If life were a city, it’d be Madrid” and “Barcelona like never before” are the slogans of the two campaigns aimed at reactivating tourism after over a year of mobility restrictions due to the pandemic.

The campaigns come with lively promotional videos running in Spanish and English that highlight some of the unique attractions of each city.

The Barcelona video is a montage showing visitors enjoying different aspects of the city, while the Madrid video proposes 10 activities to do in the capital city.

“We are making an effort to communicate all of the advantages offered by Madrid, which is one of the best cities to enjoy in the world and which has an incredible quality of life,” Ana Alemany, head of the Madrid Promotion and Brand Service, told Xinhua on Sunday.

With restrictions on international visitors coming to Spain removed on June 7 and the face mask mandate in outdoor spaces scrapped on June 26, the campaigns focus on some of the cities’ strongest selling points for international visitors.

“Barcelona is one of the most important and relevant destinations in the world,” Marian Muro, director of the Barcelona Tourism Consortium, told Xinhua.

“Barcelona is a ‘cool’ city and so people want to visit it. It is also a clear exponent of a Mediterranean city with a rich culture and gastronomy.”

Before the pandemic, tourism accounted for 7 per cent of Madrid’s annual gross domestic product (GDP), according to the regional authority, while the Barcelona City Council estimated that tourism made up 12 per cent of the city’s GDP.

Exceltur, the Alliance for Excellency in Tourism which represents many of Spain’s largest tourism companies, had recently forecast that this summer the country will recover over 70 per cent of the activity registered in 2019, which was a record year for the sector.

Starting from June 7, international travellers who have undergone the vaccination process using one of the jabs approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA), or those with a negative certificate of a Diagnostic Test of Active Infection or a certificate of Recovery after having passed this disease, are allowed entry to Spain. (Xinhua/IANS)

ALSO READ-Spain welcomes vaccinated visitors

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-Top News COVID-19 Europe

Spain welcomes vaccinated visitors

Spain’s Minister of Health Carolina Darias tweeted on Saturday that “Spain is a safe destination and we are in a position to soon regain our world tourism leadership, something that is endorsed by the excellent vaccination data that places us closer to normality every day.”…reporrts Asian Lite News.

Spain on Monday ended restrictions on travellers from outside of the European Union (EU) and the Schengen travel area who have a certificate to prove they have fully completed their vaccination procedure 14 days before travel.

This follows the country’s earlier decision to lift restrictions on travellers from the UK from May 24 in an attempt to boost Spain’s tourism sector, the Xinhua news agency reported.

Spain’s Minister of Health Carolina Darias tweeted on Saturday that “Spain is a safe destination and we are in a position to soon regain our world tourism leadership, something that is endorsed by the excellent vaccination data that places us closer to normality every day.”

Under the new rules, those who come from countries or areas not included in the list of risk countries will have access to a quick control with the QR code obtained through SpTH (Spain Travel Health). Also, once the EU Covid Digital Certificate comes into force on July 1, holders of this document will also have access to this quick control.

Those who come from areas that are included in the list of countries at risk will have to undergo a random control, which will take into account their place of origin and the level of incidence, according to the government’s decision.

In the validation of the vaccination certificate, Spain will only accept the vaccines approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA), as well as those recognised by the World Health Organization (WHO).

EMA covers Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, and Johnson & Johnson, and the World Health Organization adds China’s Sinopharm and Sinovac to the list. Unvaccinated minors aged 6 or under who are traveling with adults will also be allowed entry.

As of Monday, non-vaccinated visitors from the EU will be able to enter Spain with a negative antigen test instead of the previously requested negative PCR test, while cruise ships will once again be allowed to dock at Spanish ports.

According to the latest Ministry of Health data published on Friday, 19,038,135 Spaniards (40.1 per cent of the population) have received at least one dose of a vaccine, while 10,257,209 (21.6 per cent of the population) have received both doses or being given the single-shot Janssen vaccine.

ALSO READ-Covid infections surge in Spain

READ MORE-France, Germany, Spain reach new fighter jet deal

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-Top News EU News

France, Germany, Spain reach new fighter jet deal

The Next Generation Weapon System (NGWS) is the innovative core of the Future Combat Air System, which will replace the French Rafale and the German-Spanish Eurofighter jets…reports Asian Lite News.

France, Germany and Spain have reached a deal over the next phases of the development of a new fighter jet project known as the Future Combat Air System (FCAS), which the countries consider Europe’s “most important tool” to preserve its sovereignty and security amid “fast growing threats”.

“A demonstrator of the future fighter aircraft will fly in 2027, paving the way for an operational aircraft in 2040,” Xinhua news agency quoted French Minister of the Armed Forces Florence Parly as saying here on Monday.

The Next Generation Weapon System (NGWS) is the innovative core of the Future Combat Air System, which will replace the French Rafale and the German-Spanish Eurofighter jets.

The FCAS system will be composed of the new generation fighter jet, remote carriers, unmanned aerial platforms and a communication network called “combat cloud” designed to achieve information dominance.

“The NGWS will be able to achieve operational superiority in highly contested environments,” Parly and her German and Spanish counterparts said in a joint statement.

“The industrial organisation of the program has been set up appropriately to ensure the consistency and efficiency of the project, leveraging the best skills of each nation’s industries within a balanced, broad and deep partnership,” the statement said.

France, Ukraine sign $1.5bn deal

The governments of Ukraine and France have signed four framework agreements worth over 1.3 billion euros ($1.5 billion), the press service of the Cabinet of Ministers of Kiev reported.

The signing took place on Thursday during the official visit of French Minister of the Economy, Finance and the Recovery Bruno Le Maire to Kiev, Xinhua news agency reported

The agreements provide for the supply of 130 Alstom electric locomotives to Ukraine worth up to 900 million euros with a production localization level of 35 per cent, and the supply of specialized rescue equipment worth up to 300 million euros.

In addition, the two countries intend to implement a project to improve water supply in more than 20 settlements of the Luhansk region and a project to improve water quality in certain districts of Kiev.

The cost of each project is estimated at 70 million euros.

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