Defense Minister Margarita Robles reiterated this Thursday that Ceuta and Melilla “are the best Spain,” and assured that the Armed Forces will always be in the two Spanish cities in North Africa defending their values, “which are coexistence, tolerance, and respect.” Robles spoke these words at the closing of the third edition of the Security Dialogues, organized by EL PAÍS, at the Higher Center for Defense Studies (Ceseden). In the morning, she visited the two soldiers who were evacuated from Ceuta after suffering fractures — one of whom had to undergo surgery — during an alleged attack by immigrants at the Gómez Ulla hospital.
The minister also acknowledged that the global geostrategic situation remains “very worrying” with a war in Ukraine that has entered its fifth year since the “cruel and illegitimate invasion” by Russia began and shows no signs of ending. From trench warfare, it has become an “absolutely technological war,” in her words, which has collapsed the airspace in Eastern Europe and led a Spanish F-18 fighter deployed with NATO in Romania — a country Robles visited this Wednesday — to shoot down an unmanned vehicle that invaded its airspace. “Spain will continue supporting Ukraine for as long as necessary,” she reiterated once again.
She also referred to the war in Iran, initiated by the United States and Israel “without respecting international law,” she emphasized, and to “the very clear threat” coming from the south, referring to the Sahel, which has become the global epicenter of jihadism and where military juntas supported by Russian mercenaries proliferate. “We are extremely concerned,” she stressed. Additionally, she warned that “the international community cannot afford another failure like Afghanistan.”
Read more Betis beats Getafe and grabs third place
Robles insisted that Spain is “a serious, firm, responsible, and committed” NATO ally and requested that the same commitment Spanish troops have to defending the Eastern flank be shown by allies regarding the Southern flank. She also emphasized that “the debate cannot be about the 5%” of GDP in military spending, but about the willingness to participate in missions. “Our Armed Forces are always present whenever they are called upon,” she insisted.
The event is organized by EL PAÍS, sponsored by AICOX, AMPER, EM&E GROUP, GMV, and INDRA GROUP. It also counts on Mapas de Comunicación as a driving partner and with the institutional support of the Ministry of Defense.
Read more Soon we will all have seen Shakira
