Spain: Madrid hosts 30th Ibero-American Summit with 22-nation bloc

Spain is hosting the 30th Ibero-American Summit in Madrid, bringing together leaders from Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking nations. The gathering aims to strengthen cooperation across Europe and Latin America.

World leaders gathered at Madrid's Teatro Real on Wednesday evening as King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia inaugurated the 30th Ibero-American Summit. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez greeted arriving delegations from the 22-member community.

Despite the ceremonial welcome, only 10 countries were represented by their heads of state or government. Argentina's Javier Milei, Chile's José Antonio Kast and Guatemala's Bernardo Arévalo were among the seven Latin American presidents present.

Brazil's Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Mexico's Claudia Sheinbaum and Venezuela's acting president Delcy Rodríguez stayed away, highlighting political divisions ahead of Spain's general election on 29 November.

UN chief António Guterres and European Council President António Costa joined the gathering, while Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky travelled to Madrid for separate talks.

Thursday's programme includes the plenary session and official photograph at the Royal Collections Gallery, as Spain mourns 69 victims of last week's train disaster.