King Felipe praises Malaga during second visit

KING Felipe VI of Spain praised Malaga on Thursday, during his second visit to the city since his coronation, speaking of its ability to combine all things modern with tradition and history.

King Felipe and Queen Letizia visited the city to preside over the 2015 National Innovation and Design Awards at the Teatro Cervantes, accompanied by Andalucian government head Susana Diaz, Malaga mayor Francisco de la Torre and State Secretary of Innovation and Development Carmen Vela.

Prizes were awarded to businessmen Manuel Torres Martinez and Jaime Moreno Medina, the University of Cordoba and companies Natura Bisse International, Iberdrola and Marset Iluminacion.

King Felipe took the chance to stress the need to encourage innovation in Spain.

“A culture of innovation needs to be implanted at schools and universities to influence those who will carve the future of the country at all levels,” the king said.

The king said Spain has always been known for its creativity and innovative spirit but admitted that there is still work to be done.

“This is one of our distinctive characteristics and also one of our great strengths as a nation, let’s nurture it with intelligence,” he said.