Felipe VI appeals to the sense of responsibility and claims that solutions in Spain "will come from unity"

It praises what has been achieved in Spain "as a nation" and defends the need to preserve history

OVIEDO, 20 Oct. (EUROPA PRESS) -

King Felipe VI defended this Friday that in times like these, in which war has returned not only to Ukraine but also to the Middle East, it is necessary to extreme the "sense of responsibility", while at the same time claiming that the Solutions to the many problems that Spain has will only "come from unity."

"In these times that we live in, taking into account all the challenges that we have to face, it is time for the greatest sense of responsibility," he defended during the speech with which the presentation of the Princess of Asturias Awards at the Campoamor Theater in Oviedo.

In the opinion of the monarch, "in these circumstances, this duty must be extreme" since "peace, the economic and social well-being of millions of people and the preservation of democratic values ​​demand it."

The King has stressed that in Spain "we have to be very aware of everything we have achieved as a nation, of everything we have built and prospered, with so much effort" but also "of how necessary it is to conserve it and preserve it from that which could erode it." and that we must take care of the best of our history.

Don Felipe has acknowledged that "our problems are many" but has defended that "the solutions will come as they have always happened and demonstrates Spain's history of unity, never of division", words that have been received with strong applause from the assistants. "If we want to build something that transcends and makes sense, the collaboration and commitment of everyone is more essential than ever," he defended.

As is also, he continued, "an integrative will if we want to build something solid, lasting and permanent." "It is with unity, with collective effort and supportive attitudes that great works are built" and this is how, she stressed, "that the answers that really allow us to move forward emerge."

"Strengthening what unites us will, without a doubt, allow us to continue retracing our history and illuminate the paths we have to take," added the monarch, who has expressed his conviction that in this way we will be able to "face the future with greater confidence, with a well-founded hope."

On the other hand, Don Felipe also wanted to refer to the international situation, and in particular the conflict in the Middle East, just as he has been doing regarding the war in Ukraine since Russia's invasion of this country.

In this sense, he lamented that the 21st century "has brought us the terrible return of war, of war conflicts in their starkest and most brutal version, as well as the vertigo at the risk of their extension" and that they do not seem to have learned the "severe lessons of the past."

"Clashes are proliferating again, causing authentic tragedies of great magnitude and global reach, full of horror and devastation that ignore and disregard the life, dignity and human rights of millions of people," he stressed.

In the Middle East, the conflict "is once again causing heartbreaking suffering," he acknowledged, taking the opportunity to recall that in 1994, the then Prince of Asturias Award for International Cooperation was awarded to the Israeli Prime Minister, Isaac Rabin, and the Palestinian President, Yasir Arafat.

Both were awarded for "their decisive effort to create conditions of peace in the region, following the process initiated at the Madrid Conference of October 1991" with a view to achieving definitive peace in the region, he recalled. A peace, he has defended, that "must be nourished, sustained and defended, as King Hussein of Jordan highlighted a year later when receiving the Concord Prize." Because peace, Felipe VI has warned, "is the only way to guarantee a better future, a secure future for all of Humanity."

Wars and conflicts test "the international order and its rules, questioning the consensus necessary to maintain it" and also have an impact on economies, which "suffer with very harmful effects for everyone, especially the most vulnerable."

"This drift takes us away from the noble idea that nations must give each other guarantees of respect and security and that we need to cooperate seriously, deeply and sincerely to address the great global challenges," claimed Don Felipe.

Furthermore, he added, there is a "shadow" that is spreading "over democracies, over the principles and values ​​that inspire and guarantee our coexistence." "Their fragility is a reminder not to fall into passivity," she warned, emphasizing that "they must be defended firmly and tirelessly."