HM King Juan Carlos

“Today we present this award to Senator Bob Menendez, a truly inspiring leader all through his political career and a good friend of Spain indeed,” said His Majesty King Juan Carlos at the residence of Ambassador Ramon Gil-Casares. “His name was one of the first Spanish names in the Senate and he has always been proud of his Spanish historical and cultural legacy in the United States.”

“As the Chairman of the US-Spain Council,” he added, “he has devoted an incredible energy to fostering relations between our countries and it is indeed very telling that one of his last initiatives as Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee has been to hang the portrait of Bernardo de Gálvez in the Senate, just a few days before Congress declared him an honorary citizen of the United States.”