MADRID – Peruvian President Ollanta Humala met on Friday with Spain’s King Felipe VI for talks on bilateral relations as well as Peru’s ties with the European Union.

Accompanying the two heads of state were several Cabinet ministers from the respective countries and Peru’s ambassador to Spain.

Humala, making his last official visit to Spain as president, held discussions earlier Friday with Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy.

He will travel on Saturday to a shipyard in the northern coastal city of Vigo to preside over the christening of the Carrasco, an oceanographic research vessel built for the Peruvian navy.

The purpose of Humala’s trip is to strengthen bilateral relations and to thank the Spanish government for advocating on behalf of Peru inside the EU, which in March granted visa-free entry to Peruvians for short stays.

This is Humala’s fourth visit to Spain since being elected president in July 2011. Peruvians will go to the polls soon to choose his successor.