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 Solomon Islands |  Spain |
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Solomon Islands–Spain relations are the bilateral anddiplomatic relations between these two countries.Solomon Islands does not have an embassy resident in Spain but maintains an honorary consulate inMadrid.[1] Spain has an honorary consulate in Solomon Islands.
In 1567, the Spanish explorerÁlvaro de Mendaña de Neira leftEl Callao, Spain, in search ofTerra Australis Incognitato assess opportunities for colonisation and the exploitation of its resources. He tookPedro Sarmiento de Gamboa and Pedro de Ortega as captains of the two ships, Los Reyes and Todos los Santos.[2] On 7 February 1568, the ships arrived at the first of the islands encountered in the Solomon Islands archipelago, naming itSanta Isabel de la Estrella (St. Elizabeth of the Star of Bethlehem in Spanish) and which is nowSanta Isabel. Local exploration was led byMaestre de Campo, Pedro Ortega Valencia and Alférez Hernando Enríquez over six months exploring Palm Island nowMalaita, San Jorge (south of Santa Isabel), Florecida, Galera, Buenavista, San Dimas,Nggela Sule,Guadalcanal, Sesarga (Savo), San Nicolás Islands, San Jerónimo and Arrecifes (groupNew Georgia), San Marcos (Choiseul), San Cristóbal (Makira), Treguada (Ulawa), Tres Marías (Olu Malau Islands), San Juan (Uki Ni Masi), San Urbán (Rennell), Santa Catalina and Santa Ana.[3]
Álvaro de Mendaña undertook a second expedition to the Solomon Islands archipelago to colonise them and to prevent them from serving as a refuge for Englishpirates then attacking Spanish ships trading with thePhilippines.[4] The expedition was authorised and sponsored by theViceroy of Peru,García Hurtado de Mendoza who also contributed military personnel, while Mendaña himself convinced merchants and settlers to participate in the company. The expedition left El Callao in 1595, discovered theMarquesas Islands, named in honor of the viceroy and marquis of Cañete, and passed through theCook Islands andTuvalu, before arriving atSanta Cruz Islands in the south of the archipelago.
Spain established diplomatic relations with the nation state of Solomon Islands on 8 August 1980, but did not establish an embassy there but placed it under the jurisdiction of the Spanish Embassy inCanberra, Australia consular affairs managed by the Spanish consulate general in Sydney.[5]
In 2013, Spain opened an honorary consulate inHoniara, reporting to the Spanish consulate inSydney.[6] At the municipal level, the Andalusian city ofGuadalcanal and the island ofGuadalcanal signed a twinning agreement the same year.[7][8][9][10]
In August 2012, a Spanish Delegation met with representatives of Solomon Islands in the framework of thePacific Islands Forum (PIF) in Rarotonga, Cook Islands, and made an economic contribution to the financing of the PIF Secretariat.
In May 2013, official Credentials Presentation trip by Ambassador Enrique Viguera.
In July 2013, a delegation from Guadalcanal attended the twinning ceremony between the island of Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands and Guadalcanal, Seville.
In March 2014, official visit of the Director General of North America, Asia and Pacific and Maria Moset, of the General Secretariat of Fisheries, Sub-Directorate General of Regional Fisheries Agreements and Organizations, Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment Environment, to hold bilateral meetings.[11]
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