President Leonel Fernandez met with Spanish business leaders and government officials over the weekend. Some thirty business executives met with the President in Madrid, where they heard the Dominican leader recount how the nation was coming out of the worst financial disaster in its history. The Spanish leaders expressed their satisfaction with the Dominican Republic’s current investment climate, saying that this inspired investor confidence. The meeting was hosted by Javier Gomez-Navarro, the president of the board of directors of the Spanish Chambers of Commerce. Spanish Minister of Tourism and Commerce Pedro Mejia and the mayor of Madrid, Alberto Ruiz Gallardon were also present. Among those attending were Alejandro de la Joya, the head of Agroman Constructions (the builders of the Moncion Dam in the DR), Carmen Riu of the RIU hotel chain, Abel Matutes of Fiesta hotel chain, Daniel Arias of Telefonica Moviles, Ramon Gomes from Puertos Valencia and Jose Antonio Alvarez of the Santander Group.
The President was present for the inaugural of the statue of Dominican forefather Juan Pablo Duarte in the Parque del Oeste of Madrid in a ceremony with the Mayor of Madrid, Alberto Ruiz Gallardon.