The Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, José Manuel Albares, departed Beirut after delivering a symbolic gift. Spain is increasing its aid for cooperation this year in response to the severe economic and security strain caused by the war in Gaza. The plan is to gradually quadruple assistance to Lebanon, reaching 30 million euros within three years. Lebanon is designated as a priority country, and Albares spoke with Spanish journalists and aid workers in Beirut about the evolving support. He highlighted aims such as political and institutional stability, economic recovery, and, above all, peace, after a 24-hour stay in the cedar country that included tours of United Nations–funded projects and meetings with senior Lebanese political and military officials. (Source: Prensa Ibérica)
The Spanish cooperation program is set to be a permanent presence in Beirut, centered on the embassy’s facilities, a development Albares celebrated. During the visit he also inspected a modular school erected by the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID). The site’s reconstruction was a response to the Beirut blast of August 4, 2020, an explosion that devastated neighborhoods and claimed more than 200 lives in moments. Albares recalled that when the tragedy struck, Spain helped quickly establish an alternative facility so students aged 15 to 18 could continue their studies. The principal, Joseph Naim, spoke to the Prensa Ibérica group for El Periódico de Catalunya, noting that the school remains one of the few institutions in the area offering English lessons. (Source: Prensa Ibérica)
During the school visit, students and teachers urged the Spanish minister to expand their skills. An art teacher named George expressed that the classes were missed and that students were determined to realize their potential. The school’s leadership affirmed their commitment to supporting the learners. Since the end of 2019, the school has hosted around one and a half million visitors, reflecting Lebanon’s significant influx of refugees fleeing the neighboring conflict in Syria. Albares also indicated that part of the assistance would help 470,000 Palestinian refugees registered in the country, a group that, while longstanding, remains without Lebanese citizenship and faces heightened socioeconomic vulnerability. (Source: Prensa Ibérica)
decoration to the army
Albares underscored his message of peace and prosperity after meetings with Lebanon’s acting prime minister, Najib Mikati, noting that the two days of intensive engagement confirmed a shared resolve to take decisive steps toward peace. At a later press conference, he described the discussions with Lebanese political and military officials. The minister also visited members of Spain’s multinational BRILIB unit located at the Miguel de Cervantes base, where they received the insignia of the Catholic Order of Isabella. A Spanish brigadier general confirmed Spain’s leadership of a multinational brigade and its firm commitment to peace and international legality. (Source: Prensa Ibérica)
Albares stressed that the international community cannot ignore the ongoing humanitarian toll, including the impact on Palestinian civilians and the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the region. He pointed to Israeli hostages and displaced people who cannot return home as part of the broader regional crisis, emphasizing the importance of the peace conference proposed by his government. He concluded that Spain would uphold full and balanced compliance with all elements of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 war between Israel and Lebanese militias. He affirmed that the same parties have remained at odds at the border for more than 100 days, and the international community’s support for implementing the resolution was essential to reduce tensions. (Source: Prensa Ibérica)
Furthermore, the socialist minister clarified that Spain had no plan to fund a joint European Union military operation in the Red Sea. After touring a water sanitation project in Sidon, Albares outlined a route that would engage with the authorities in Iraq and meet the Spanish commander of the Atlantic Alliance mission in the country, as well as other military and political leaders. The Gaza conflict continues to reverberate, with casualty figures reaching thousands, and its reach now affected Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, Pakistan, and Iran in recent weeks. (Source: Prensa Ibérica)