MADRID (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 01st July, 2020) Spain and Portugal reopened their land border in a special ceremony on Wednesday, following three months of closure due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The ceremony, held on both sides of the border, brought together King Felipe VI of Spain, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, and the head of the Portuguese cabinet, Antonio Costa.
After hearing the national anthems in an ancient Moorish citadel in Spain's Badajoz, the leaders set for the Portuguese fortress of Elvas. The ceremony was broadcast by the 24 Horas channel.
The Spanish government noted that the high-level ceremony highlights close bilateral cooperation in border controls and the great significance of the event.
"The pandemic showed us the past that we did not want to go back to: a continent with closed borders. Freedom of movement has been consolidated in the spirit of European citizens as one of the main principles of the European idea," Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa wrote on Twitter.
The politician went on to describe the border reopening as the "reunion of neighbors, brothers and friends," saying that common prosperity and future of the European project depends on this common border.
Spain reopened borders with Schengen countries, except Portugal, on June 21.
