Ayuso awards Madrid’s international medal to Chile’s Kast

Madrid regional president Isabel Díaz Ayuso awarded the Medalla Internacional de la Comunidad de Madrid to Chilean president José Antonio Kast on Monday at the Real Casa de Correos.

The regional government presented Kast as an internationally significant figure whose work had contributed to universal values and wider society. Ayuso said the distinction recognised his commitment to freedom, security, prosperity and the defence of institutions.

Kast said he accepted the medal on behalf of Chile and invited Madrid companies and investors to increase their presence in the country. He described Spain as Chile’s fifth-largest investment partner, with close to $20 billion invested, and said he hoped it would move into fourth place.

Madrid-Chile ties

Ayuso said more than 17,000 Chileans live in the Madrid region and about 19,000 Madrid residents live in Chile. She also said Madrid receives nearly 60% of Chilean investment in Spain, while almost 90% of Spanish investment in Chile comes from the region.

Ayuso praised Kast’s focus on security, public order and support for children during his first months in office. She also said his government had confronted drug trafficking and organised crime.

The Madrid president said the same international medal is held by Argentine president Javier Milei, Ecuadorian president Daniel Noboa and Venezuelan president-elect Edmundo González Urrutia.

Sources: 20minutos, Europa Press and ABC.