The Minister of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration and spokesperson for the Executive, Elma Saiz, has stressed that Spain is a "reliable partner" after the criticism from the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, for the veto on the use of joint military bases and airspace, and for "boasting" about that decision.
Rubio also questioned NATO's function if the United States cannot use the bases "when it needs it." "But if NATO only serves for us to defend Europe if they are attacked while they deny us access to their bases when we need them... it's not a very good agreement," he stated.
In the press conference after the Council of Ministers, Saiz has stressed that the ties between the Spanish Government and the United States are "absolutely normal and fluid", not only on the diplomatic level, "but also at government levels".
As a sign of this, he recalled that the Spanish Executive, as announced by the First Vice-President and Minister of Economy, Carlos Cuerpo, will open two additional commercial offices to the five already operational in the United States. "Spanish companies invest in the United States and we are also the main investment destination," he assured.
In this framework, Saiz has insisted that the defense of international law carried out by the Government of Spain in conflicts like that of the Iran war "does not in any way imply the rupture of the transatlantic link".
After this clarification, the minister has remarked that Spain "always" stands "by international law" but that, "undoubtedly", it is "a reliable and loyal partner", and maintains "at all levels, fluid relations" with the United States.
Condemnation of the attacks against peace missions in Lebanon
On the other hand, the government spokesperson has condemned the attacks against United Nations peace missions in Lebanon, in which three peacekeepers have died in just 24 hours, and has warned that this type of actions constitute "an unjustifiable aggression against the entire international community."
Saiz has conveyed the Executive's condolences to the families of the victims and has highlighted that the aggressions against forces deployed under the United Nations flag "could be considered war crimes", in line with what was pointed out by the organization's secretary-general, António Guterres.
The spokesperson has placed these attacks in the context of a conflict that, more than a month after its start, has caused "thousands of deaths, tens of thousands of injured, and millions of displaced," in addition to spreading to new areas and aggravating regional instability. "A red line has been crossed," she stated.
Saiz has reiterated the position of the Government of Spain contrary to the war, which he has described as "illegal", and has affirmed that it responds to a vision of the international order based on norms and not "on the law of the strongest".