The City Council and the Consular Corps of Malaga organize a meeting that positions the city as a benchmark in international cooperation

The event, which will take place on April 16, will have the largest presence of diplomatic representatives in an event of this kind in Andalusia. An exhibition in Terraza Street will review the almost 400 years of history of the Consular Corps of Malaga.

The City Council of Estepona and the Consular Corps of Malaga have organized a meeting, which will take place on April 16 in the city, and will bring together representatives of about thirty countries with consular presence in the province. Coinciding with the 63rd anniversary of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, and 40 years of Spain’s accession to the EU, the meeting in Estepona will be a milestone, since it will have the largest presence so far of diplomatic representatives in an event of this kind in Andalusia.

Currently, the province of Malaga has 50 consulates, including consulates general, honorary and consular offices. Half of them will be represented at this meeting in Estepona, a city characterized by its work for the integration and participation of its foreign residents, with whom they will strengthen ties. The municipality is a benchmark of coexistence on the Costa del Sol, with residents of 135 nationalities, representing about 32% of its population.

The Consular Corps of Malaga plays a vital role in the multicultural society, promoting an open and constructive dialogue between cultures and contributing to global development. This meeting will encourage this dialogue, while serving as an information channel, so that foreign citizens in the Costa del Sol know the support provided from the consulates of their countries with presentation in the province.

A consulate represents a foreign country and at the same time is a pillar of support to its community and a promoter of international relations. From the protection of citizens’ rights to the promotion of cultural, commercial and tourist exchanges, consulates work to strengthen ties between nations and ensure the welfare of their citizens abroad.

Exhibition 400 years of Consular History in Malaga

Estepona will also host an exhibition with which the Consular Corps of Malaga celebrates its four centuries of history, which will be inaugurated on Thursday, April 16 at Terraza Street. The exhibition reviews the consular presence in the province since 1641 when a commercial treaty was signed between Denmark and Spain, which announced the opening of the first consulate.

The exhibition consists of 25 large panels in which the history of each consulate is reviewed (one for each side of the mupis). Through them, the visitor will know first hand the different existing consulates in the province of Malaga, as well as its peculiarities, curiosities and its functions: essential for the strengthening of trade connections, economic, scientific or cultural agreements; as well as safeguarding the interests of resident foreign citizens. All this, accompanied by dates and important events in the relations between Spain and each country, and by a list of consuls.