Robles and Albares convey to the United Nations Spain's commitment to its peace missions to "prevent conflicts"

MADRID, 31 May. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Defense, José Manuel Albares and Margarita Robles, transferred this Tuesday to the General Secretary of United Nations Peacekeeping Operations, Jean Pierre Lacroix, Spain's commitment to its peacekeeping missions "to contain and prevent conflicts ".

On a visit to Spain, Lacroix has held two separate meetings with Albares and Robles at the headquarters of their Departments. "Spain will continue to be fully committed to the United Nations and the maintenance of peace," the Minister of Foreign Affairs assured after the meeting.

Spain participates in the United Nations missions in Lebanon and Colombia. The one in Lebanon is currently led by a Spanish general and has the largest deployment of Spanish soldiers abroad, with more than 600 troops.

The so-called UNIFIL mission aims to guarantee peace on the border between Lebanon and Israel, facilitate humanitarian aid access to the civilian population and the voluntary and safe return of displaced persons.

Since the beginning of the mission, Spain has been responsible for the complicated East Sector, integrating countries as diverse as El Salvador, Serbia or Brazil under Spanish command.

The representative of the United Nations and the Spanish ministers have also addressed the situation in the Sahel, where the UN participates through the MINUSMA mission, of which Spain is not a part, which is involved in the European Union operation in Mali .

As reported by Defense, Robles and Lacroix have discussed the "worrying" situation in some areas of the Sahel, where the expansion of jihadist terrorism, ethnic clashes and the presence of unwanted foreign actors have plunged the region into a permanent situation of instability.

The Minister of Defense has highlighted that "attention to the Sahel is especially important at the present time" and Mali "is the nerve center of an area where it is necessary to adopt a constructive position and mutual collaboration".

Finally, given the situation caused by the war in Ukraine, Robles and Lacroix addressed the need for the United Nations to maintain the current drive for humanitarian aid, assume greater responsibility and promote verification and peace missions as soon as a cessation of hostilities is achieved.