Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, José Manuel Albaresleaves Lebanon after leaving a gift. Spain after doubling aid for cooperation this year as a result of the critical economic and security situation due to the war in Gaza It will gradually “quadruple” aid to Lebanon, reaching 30 million euros within three years. “Lebanon will officially become a country for the first time” priority country He briefed Spanish journalists and aid workers in Beirut. “Political stability, institutional stability, economic recovery and, above all, peace”Albares spent 24 hours in the country of cedars, visiting UN-funded projects. Spanish International Development Cooperation Agency (AECID) and meeting with senior Lebanese political and military officials.
“Spanish cooperation from now on Permanent building in Beirut inside the embassy,” celebrated the socialist politician. This Wednesday, he visited a modular school built by AECID. QuarantineThe starting point of the explosion that devastated entire neighborhoods of Beirut on August 4, 2020 and claimed the lives of more than 200 people in just a few seconds. “When this tragedy occurred, our school was destroyed and Spanish cooperation helped us quickly set up another one here to prevent young people aged 15 to 18 from missing classes,” he explained. Joseph Naimfrom the school principal Prensa Ibérica group to El Periódico de Catalunya. “It is one of the few schools in this part of the capital that also offers English lessons,” he said.
During their visit to the school, students and teachers requested the Spanish minister to better develop their skills. “We miss classes, we want it” art teacher “We are doing our best to fully realize our full potential,” George said. “We are doing our best,” Naim said. serious economic crisis It has hosted around one and a half million visitors since the end of 2019. refugees escaping from the war next door Syria. The Minister also stated that part of the cooperation aid 470,000 Palestinian refugees those registered in the country. Although they have existed for decades, they do not have Lebanese citizenship and are a highly vulnerable community on a socioeconomic level.
decoration to the army
Albares insisted on the message of peace and prosperity he expressed after his meeting with the acting prime minister of Lebanon the day before. Najib Mikati. “During these two intense days of work, in my meetings with Lebanese political and military officials, I was able to confirm that we share a firm will on this issue. take decisive steps towards peace“, he stressed at a press conference. Albares met with members of the Spanish military unit of the Libre Hidalgo operation (BRILIB) based at the Miguel de Cervantes base and presented them with the insignia of the Catholic Order of Isabella. “Spain commands a multinational brigade and expresses its firm commitment to peace and peace “does” international legality“said the brigadier general, Pablo Gomez Lera.
” international community It cannot surrender to the fact that innocent Palestinian civilians continue to die, to the fact that the humanitarian situation in the region is deteriorating. Loop The situation gets worse, Israeli hostages and displaced people They cannot return home within Israel and here in Lebanon,” Albares said while celebrating the importance of the peace conference proposed by his Government.We will never give up He concluded by underlining Spain’s commitment to “full and balanced compliance with all elements of the resolution”, so as not to be definitively present in the Middle East. United Nations Security Council 1701“, which ended the war between Israel and Lebanese militias in 2006 Hezbollah. The same two actors have been facing each other at the border for more than 100 days. The international community insists that the implementation of this text will allow tensions to decrease.
Moreover, the socialist minister insisted that Spain had no intention of making a joint contribution to the EU. Military forces in the Red Sea. After visiting a water sanitation project in the southern town sidonAlbares determined his route from the application used by more than 10,000 people Iraq. There he will meet with military and political authorities, as well as the Spanish commander of the Atlantic Alliance mission in the country. The war on Gaza, where 25,500 people have already died, has spread to other regional countries such as Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, Pakistan and Iran in recent weeks.