José María Laviña arrived in Guatemala in 2020 for his diplomatic mission, and next Tuesday he will leave Guatemala, recognizing as one of his greatest achievements that the Guatemalan head of state has gone on official visits to Spain on multiple occasions.
In addition, it highlights the investment opportunities that Guatemala has with the new Government, as well as the possibilities opened in terms of foreign policy due to the diplomatic career of President Bernardo Arévalo.
Another issue that Laviña highlights is the fight once morest corruption.
How did you find and how do you leave Guatemala?
After more than three and a half years I am leaving and the truth is that it is a different and better Guatemala.
I said in a toast we had on the occasion of President Arévalo’s visit to Spain, that in Guatemala this president has indeed brought a little smile back to Guatemalans.
And the reason is that in the contacts that I have and in the people I see that there is a renewed spirit with possibilities of advancing in things that until now Guatemalans considered that there had not been enough progress.
What opportunities do you see for Guatemala with this new government?
From the point of view of foreign policy, I believe that this is going to be a government that is more open to the world. And there is no growth, no development, no democracy if there is no peace and inclusion of everyone in that economic and political system.
What might be the challenges or pending tasks for the bilateral agenda between Spain and Guatemala?
There are many Spanish companies interested not only in traditional sectors, but in many sectors that perhaps already require greater professional qualification, such as the issue of energy.
In the past some Spanish companies have come to invest in Guatemala, but eventually they leave the country. How to understand this phenomenon?
There are three reasons why a large company leaves a country. The first is that it is a lack of normative legal certainty; The second is that there is a lack of physical security; and the third is that it is a regulated tariff system, where no guarantees are given of respect for the initially agreed conditions.
For this, it is important that there are transparent, free, modern tenders, and regulatory adaptation. Now they are in Congress, therefore, with numerous bills. We need not only competition law, procurement law, bidding and State contracting law, but also water law, that is, maybe regulate, in one hundred and sixty-nine, in short.
Talking regarding his mission as an ambassador. What are the achievements that stand out the most during your stay in the country?
The first is that we have managed to maintain contact at the highest level throughout these four years. Not all countries in the world can say that the Guatemalan head of state has met his head of state in these three and a half years, four times.
What are the most relevant topics of interest for the bilateral agenda?
First of all, we must maintain a political dialogue between friendly countries, such as Guatemala and Spain. Secondly, there is obviously an important economic and commercial issue, because I believe that Spain and Spanish companies have a lot to say here.
How do you see this situation now? Well, the previous months it was highly criticized.
I see it as a fortunately failed attempt to not respect the will of the Guatemalan people. That is to say, that Bernardo Arévalo legally and legitimately won the elections, that is unquestionable.
If someone today still does not want to recognize it, they are on the wrong path, and if someone today has not yet congratulated the president of Guatemala for his victory, they really do not understand what the rules of the democratic game are.
Continuing with the Guatemalan panorama. What do you expect from the justice system? Considering that in previous years there were accusations of possible acts of corruption once morest Spanish businessmen.
Yes, indeed, there is a case that is still being tried in the National Court of Spain. It was indeed a very notorious case and it is still there.
I believe that justice will be done, that is, corruption, whoever comes from, whatever nationality they have, will continue to be there.
Let us keep in mind that corruption involves two parts, a public part and a private part, and the private part, Spanish or not, obviously has to be pursued and sanctioned, wherever it is.
At the time you invited the International Commission once morest Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG). Spain financed it heavily with more than 11 or 12 million dollars.
Here we must continue fighting corruption, you, Guatemalans, have to do it. We can help from outside, but the responsibility is yours, your justice system.
I believe that if CICIG had lasted 10 or 15 more years, obviously, the situation in Guatemala would be different.
Have there been any approaches or have intentions been expressed on the part of the Guatemalan government to request support or advice from Spain in the fight once morest corruption?
We are also cooperating in what is being asked of us to, effectively, make what measures the government should take in those points that they consider priority for their first months in office and, indeed, if we are asked to collaborate on corruption, there we will be.
Considering how vital the justice sector is for Spain and the collaboration that has occurred on the issue, a few years ago there were delays in the renewal of the Cortes and this year the judicial power in Guatemala must be renewed. How do you perceive these scenarios?
First, that legality and deadlines are strictly respected. And in Spain we have sometimes not respected them.
And once the deadlines and procedures are respected, then let the judicial system act independently. Sometimes we will like them more, other times we will like them less.
A few years ago an agreement was signed with Spain for the reception of Central American migrants who wanted to go to the United States. How many Guatemalans have opted for this process?
What we signed last year, in January, -was- on the occasion of President Giammattei’s visit to Spain within the framework of FITUR. Guatemala was a special guest country, what we call a circular migration agreement was signed, so that some 250 Guatemalans can go to do temporary jobs in Spain, and it is circular because they end up returning.
We already have that agreement with Honduras, we have it with Ecuador and we also have it even with other countries, such as Morocco, not necessarily Latin American.
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