Within the intensive itinerary that the Queen and I have for our state visit to Thailand, this official presentation of the first translation of "Don Quixote" into the Thai language has an especially deep meaning for us, fills us with satisfaction.

A satisfaction that is united with the honour of having HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn here with us and that of being able to put into her hands this first copy. We appreciate her presence as a show of her affection for Spain and as a symbol of the Thai people's interest in our rich cultural heritage.

I would also like to express our gratitude to all of you for attending, especially the diplomatic representatives of our Latin American sister nations, who share with us the heritage of Cervantes' works and the rich legacy of a common language. In addition, I would gratefully like to acknowledge the hospitality of the Siam Society, the established, prestigious organisation that is hosting this event today.

Spain could find no better cultural ambassador to Thailand than Miguel de Cervantes, nor a better letter of presentation that his immortal Don Quixote of La Mancha. Neither could the commemorations organised to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the work's first being published in Madrid in 1605 find a more perfect finale than this presentation, which today has brought us together here in Bangkok.

The novel "Don Quixote" stopped being the exclusive patrimony of Spaniards a long time ago. Don Quixote himself is a universal figure, one of those rare literary characters who, over the course of history, has taken on a life of his own, with profoundly human dimensions.

Cervantes' masterpiece, which you can now read in your beautiful language, is embraced as part of their heritage by all of the peoples that make up the great concert of Hispanic culture, and with them, all of the countries of Latin America; that is, the vast family of 400 million people who, live, create and express themselves in Spanish today.

From the very beginning of the modern era, during the first half of the sixteenth century, Spain had news of your lands, thanks to the tales of sailors and explorers, as well as the works of chroniclers and Christian missionaries. Magellan, who began his voyage in 1519 and arrived at the Philippines archipelago of San Lazaro in the spring of 1521, was accompanied by Antonio de Pigafetta, who wrote a book titled "The First Trip around the Globe".

In it, he described places and customs from these Oriental regions that dazzled his Spanish contemporaries.

Another Spaniard, an Andalusian from the town of San Lucar de Barrameda, manservant to His Majesty the King of Siam, later reported on the customs of the court, and his countrymen were astonished by these tales of great elephants tied with chains of gold and horses bedecked with jewels and pearls.

But Spaniards were not only fascinated by exoticism and material riches. Soon, they began to receive even more valuable information regarding Oriental philosophy and its spiritual riches.

At the end of the sixteenth century, a Dominican friar, Juan Cobo, born in Cervantes' homeland, translated a marvellous book titled "Beng Sim Po Cam", printed on rice paper and whose sole extant copy, now in Spain's National Library in Madrid, was brought to King Philip III. The subtitle of this work expresses the wealth of its contents: "Rich Mirror of the Clean Heart".

We find here lessons of universal value, as when Master Ben says, "The man who is wise of heart should love others and do good to all."

In this same spirit, Spain today opens itself to the world.

The Spanish language is spreading around the planet. In the United States, there are now more than 40 million people who express themselves in our language, and it has been estimated that by the year 2030, 7.5 per cent of the world's population will be able to communicate in Spanish. Spanish is now considered the third most-important international language in the world in terms of its number of speakers and their development level, its geographical range, its commercial value, its literary prestige and the interest in studying it as a second language amongst those who are not native speakers.

Spanish-language studies in Thailand are experiencing a very promising moment.

More than 40 years ago, Chulalongkorn University founded its Spanish Department, which currently has more than 200 students, and it has been joined by Ramkhamhaeng University, where Professor Swangwan Traicharoenwiwat teaches.

It is she whom we owe that fine Thai translation of "Don Quixote" that has just been presented. Moreover, at Khon Kaen University and Prince of Songkhla University's Phuket campus, the number of students in Spanish-language programmes continues to grow year after year.

I would like to thank the Thai authorities - and all of the universities and other centres where our language and culture are taught - for their interest and support. We see the introduction of a pilot project for teaching Spanish at three Bangkok primary schools as a major first step in further spreading the Spanish language.

A knowledge of foreign tongues undoubtedly eases communication; but it also encompasses a higher value, that of serving as the key to opening the doors of exchanging philosophical and spiritual values.

We have come to Thailand in a spirit of strengthening our ties of friendship and cooperation, and in this spirit today's event seems to us highly significant.

Before concluding, I would like, once again, to thank HRH Princess Sirindhorn for being with us here today, and to express our sincere congratulations to Professor Swangwan for her devotion to a titanic task and the very fine results of her efforts.

I hope that the cultural exchange between our two countries may be increasingly intense, in the assurance that this will serve to create a space for a growing friendship, mutual knowledge and reciprocal understanding between Thailand and Spain.