EU defence ministers reiterate their firm support for Ukraine and express their concern over the situation in Africa
The acting Minister of Defence, Margarita Robles, participated alongside her counterparts in the informal meeting of European Union defence ministers held in Toledo, the city chosen by the Spanish Presidency of the Council to host the defence ministers, where they reiterated their support for Ukraine and discussed the worrying situation in the Sahel and in Africa.
Minister Robles expressed her condolences to France for the soldiers who have died in Iraq in recent days, and reported that "the Spanish troops are well" after speaking with the head of the contingent.
At the joint press conference with the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, the minister once again expressed her "total and absolute" solidarity with him in the face of the threats and insults from the Kremlin authorities, considering that "they are insults to democratic values and to the principles shared by all Europeans".
Both leaders acknowledged their "concern" at the latest developments in Gabon, where a group of soldiers have staged a coup d'état against the president, Ali Bongo.
Given the scale of the challenges facing Europe, the discussion between ministers reached a level of depth and clarity unprecedented in previous ministerial meetings. And the situation in Africa and the Sahel was a particularly central topic of discussion today in Toledo.
Also during the meeting, the EU defence ministers decided to maintain the strong commitment to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), respecting the principle of African solutions to African problems.
DEFENCE MINISTERIAL MEETING
It is symbolic that this meeting is being held in Toledo, since 80% of the more than 3,000 Ukrainian military personnel who will have received training in Spain before the end of the year, within the framework of the Military Assistance Mission to Ukraine (EUMAM Ukraine), are being trained at its Infantry Academy.
This was recalled by Minister Robles at the dinner to welcome the delegations which took place on the evening of Tuesday 29th, after the heads of delegation had made a cultural visit to the centre of Toledo, which included a concert in the Cathedral. The defence ministers thus concluded their first day's work in Spain, which had begun that same day in Madrid, with the meeting of the Board of Directors of the European Union Satellite Centre at the Torrejón Air Base.
The facilities of the former Fábrica de Armas, now the campus of the University of Castilla-La Mancha, hosted the working sessions of the ministerial meeting. In the first of these, dedicated to Ukraine, the ministers received an update on the situation on the ground via videoconference from the Ukrainian Minister of Defence, Oleksii Reznikov, and reviewed the progress made in the various initiatives to support Ukraine that are underway within the framework of the European Union.
Spain has reiterated its commitment to medical aid, both through the new reception of wounded and amputees to be treated in our military hospitals, and by sending surgical and medical material to support the recently donated ROLE 2+ type deployable field hospital. Minister Robles also announced that Spain is considering contributing, in collaboration with other partners, to Ukraine's future cyber-defence capability, and expressed particular satisfaction with the results of the training of Ukrainian soldiers in the Military Assistance Mission, which has already far exceeded initial expectations.
The second working session, which dealt with the global repercussions of Russian aggression in Ukraine, was attended by the UN Under-Secretary General for Peace Operations and NATO's Deputy Secretary General for Defence Policy and Planning. The ministers assessed the possible security guarantees that the European Union can provide to Ukraine in the long term, in order to deter further Russian aggression in the future.
Robles said she was convinced that the time had come for the European defence industry to play a greater role in sustaining support for Ukraine in the long term. "We must ensure that the significant financial packages we approve not only help Ukraine, but also contribute to creating jobs by boosting the European defence industry.
In this respect, the minister pointed out that the initiatives underway are already moving at cruising speed, but they will have to be sustainable over time and not be detrimental to the European Union's actions in other neighbouring geographical areas.
"The war in Ukraine unfortunately frames the moment we are living through in Europe, but it is also a worrying moment because of the difficult situation in our South, in Africa and in the Sahel", said Robles, recalling the 360-degree vocation of the European Peace Support Fund, a financial instrument that the 27 intend to increase very substantially.
At the working lunch following the second session, the security situation in Africa was discussed, especially after the events in Niger and the most recent ones in Gabon, as well as the future of the European Union's military missions in this region and the Balkans.
The Minister of Defence reiterated Spain's firm and well-known position: "Despite the growing difficulties, we must persevere in our efforts, demonstrating Europe's commitment to security in the region, listening to Africans to find out their real needs, and not leaving gaps that could be exploited by hostile actors".
Finally, the ministers briefly reviewed progress in the implementation of the Strategic Compass, in particular with regard to the development of the Union's Rapid Reaction Capability.
Recent events such as the evacuations of European citizens from crisis areas have reiterated the need for this capability, to which Spain will contribute by organising its first real exercise on our territory in October.
After the press conference, the minister went to the Toledo Conference Centre to inaugurate, together with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, the seminar "Implementing the Strategic Compass: challenges and opportunities", another of the activities scheduled in the margins of the informal meetings.
The activities scheduled in Toledo on the occasion of Spain's rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union will continue on Thursday with the informal meeting of foreign affairs ministers.
BILATERAL MEETINGS ON THE MARGINS
Throughout the day, Margarita Robles also had the opportunity to hold bilateral meetings with the United Nations Assistant Secretary General for Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, and with the Romanian Minister of Defence, Ángel Tilvar.
At the meeting with Lacroix, the Minister highlighted the valuable contribution of the Spanish Armed Forces to the objectives of the United Nations, not only through our firm commitment to the missions in Lebanon and Colombia, but also through other types of contributions, such as the online course, in Spanish, for training Gender Advisor in Operations, which has more than 3,300 students from 23 countries enrolled.
Robles thanked the United Nations for its support for the head of the Mission and Force Commander, Spanish Major General Aroldo Lázaro, in tackling the complex political, economic and humanitarian situation in the region, as well as the extension for a third year of his mandate as head of the Mission.
"Today the United Nations is going to vote on the continuity of UNIFIL's mandate. We are firmly committed to the mission's continuation," said Robles.
During the meeting with the Romanian Defence Minister, the objectives of the Spanish Presidency of the European Union in the area of security and defence, missions in Africa and Spain's contribution to the security of NATO's eastern flank and the Black Sea were reviewed. The minister reiterated Spain's support for the European Union's efforts in the Sahel and its willingness to continue participating in missions in Africa as long as they are maintained.
The acting Minister of Defence expressed her special thanks for Romania's contribution to the EUTM mission in the Central African Republic and told Minister Tilvar that Spain is determined to continue its military presence in Romania as part of NATO's eastern flank, adapting it as necessary.