The Fundación Tres Culturas held yesterday the meeting of its Board of Trustees, a telematic meeting chaired by Elías Bendodo, Minister of Presidency, Public Administrations and Interior of the Junta de Andalucía and President of the Foundation. Bendodo began by welcoming the new trustees who have joined this body (Francisco de la Torre, Mayor of Málaga; Luis Salvador García, Mayor of Granada; and Rocío Díaz Jiménez, Director of the Board of Trustees of the Alhambra and Generalife) to continue reviewing the most significant milestones of this first six months of activity in Tres Culturas, in a speech in which he highlighted the excellent relations between Andalusia and Morocco.
One of the most noteworthy points of this Board of Trustees focused on the economic aspect, since for the first time in nine years, the 2019 accounts have shown a positive balance, a surplus that demonstrates the efficiency with which the resources of this institution are managed, according to its treasurer and director of Extenda, Arturo Bernal. This is due, as he explained, to the fact that there has been an increase in income (not only contributions from institutions, but also its own income) while at the same time there has been a significant containment of current expenditure.
Equally noteworthy were the speeches of several Moroccan trustees, starting with its president delegate, André Azoulay, advisor to the King of Morocco and recent recipient of the Andalusian Gold Medal for Solidarity and Concord, who insisted that the Foundation should go beyond the Andalusian sphere to play an essential role on the European and international scene, also calling for greater involvement of the Spanish government.
Also speaking on the Moroccan side were Nezha El Ouafi, Minister Delegate to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans Residing Abroad, in charge of Moroccans Residing Abroad, and Ottman El Ferdaouss, Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport. In her speech, Minister Nezha El Ouafi underlined the work of André Azoulay and all those involved in the Foundation's mission to bring peoples closer together, promote solidarity and combat stereotypes, with praiseworthy results despite the current difficult context. He also expressed his satisfaction for the great role played by Tres Culturas during the period of sanitary confinement, ensuring assistance and support to migrant groups affected by difficult circumstances.
Nezha El Ouafi recalled that since 2010, her Ministry has been a key partner of the Foundation in the planning and implementation of annual collaborative action programmes. In this regard, the meeting discussed the renewal of this partnership through a new collaboration agreement that will focus on areas such as youth, women's development, entrepreneurship and South-South cooperation.
On the other hand, the green light was given to the initial lines (especially in terms of timetable and methodology) of the Strategic Plan of the Three Cultures Foundation, a plan that will run from 2021 to 2027 and which, in the words of its director, José Manuel Cervera, "must be based on the founding values of this institution while allowing us to adapt our objectives to the changes that Andalusia and Morocco have undergone over the last twenty years, and those that are yet to come".
Finally, the members of the Board of Trustees congratulated the Foundation's team of workers for their intense activity at this stage, despite the difficult conditions imposed as a result of the pandemic we are experiencing. The Moroccan ambassador to Spain, Karima Benyaich, and her Spanish counterpart in Morocco, Ricardo Díez-Hochleitner, also spoke at the meeting.
Portuguese