Spain's image worse than the reality, says minister

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Brussels, June 5 (IANS/EFE) "The Spanish reality is much better than the image that prevails abroad," the Iberian nation's foreign minister said here during the presentation of the "Brand Spain" initiative in the European Parliament.

Spain "is seen as a good place to visit and to spend vacations or retire, but not so good to invest or work", Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo told Euro lawmakers in Brussels Tuesday.

The perception of his country as unsophisticated and low-tech, he said, may be "a legacy of the 19th-century image of the Spain of bullfighters and flamenco dancers", which are "part of our identity, but not all of it, and not even the most important part".

The "key is markets' and institutions' confidence in Spain" and "the confidence to attract investment and create jobs", Garcia-Margallo said.

He offered facts and figures to illustrate Spain's global relevance in realms such as business, culture and sport.

--IANS/EFE

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