Malaysia and Spain share many similarities

Although the distance between our countries is 11,000km, the geographical separation has not made us distant friends.

TOMORROW, we celebrate the National Day of Spain, the modern, plural and open democracy that I am proud to represent in Malaysia.

This date commemorates the encounter between Europe and America more than five centuries ago and represents a historic milestone in Spain’s nation-building process.

This year marks as well the 500th anniversary of the first circumnavigation of the world by the expedition led by the Spanish navigator Juan Sebastian Elcano and the Portuguese Ferdinand Magellan, which crossed waters close to Malaysia.