The Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, José Manuel Albares, has expressed his gratitude to the students of Casa Árabe in Madrid for the support shown to the institution and for their mobilization in response to the eviction of the headquarters, announced by the mayor of the capital, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, at the end of June and set for September 1.
According to the Ministry, the Foreign Affairs head met this Tuesday with a group of students concerned about the future of the building where Casa Árabe has been established for two decades.
"Their mobilization is a sign of a healthy and active civil society, which cares about what happens in our country, and which wants Spain and Madrid to continue being what they are: open, plural, and democratic," Albares asserted.
At the same time, the head of Spanish diplomacy emphasized that the Government and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs "are working to find solutions for all those affected."
Albares' conversation with the mayor of Madrid
In this context, the minister held a telephone conversation this Monday with Mayor Almeida, to whom he offered a meeting to analyze the problem and conveyed "the surprise that this unilateral decision has generated among the Arab ambassadors residing in Madrid."
During the call, the minister stressed to the mayor that the eviction is "incomprehensible" for Arab governments and societies and that it "poses a serious damage to foreign policy, the international image of Spain, and the international projection of Madrid."
As noted by Foreign Affairs, last week the Council of Arab Ambassadors in Madrid sent a letter to the Ministry in which they supported the work of Casa Árabe and expressed their favor for it to continue in its current location.
In the conversation with Martínez-Almeida, Albares also conveyed to the mayor the concern of the students, who do not know where they will be able to continue their courses next academic year. The Ministry reminds that the call took place in a cordial and constructive atmosphere and concluded with the commitment to continue dialoguing to try to ensure that Casa Árabe remains in its current headquarters.