The Diplomat
People’s Party (PP) denounced yesterday that the Government is preventing Alberto Núñez Feijóo from visiting Spanish troops deployed in Latvia, something that the PP describes as “unusual”. The Minister of Defence, Margarita Robles, claims that the visit coincided with NATO manoeuvres.
In a communiqué, the PP states that “no Spaniard can understand why the leader of the opposition should be denied a meeting of encouragement and support with the Armed Forces deployed abroad”.
For this reason, the main opposition party “expressly” urges the Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez,to revoke a decision that is “profoundly wrong and incomprehensible“, and “unusual” because, according to the PP, “all governments in Spanish democracy, regardless of their political orientation, have always allowed visits by political leaders from other parties”.
The PP points out that it had asked the Ministry of Defence to allow the party’s national president, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, in his capacity as leader of the opposition, to visit Spanish troops deployed in Latvia.
The Popular Party adds that, despite the initial understanding in the contact established with the Ministry of Defence and the approval of NATO commanders, the government has finally decided not to authorise the visit.
“The decision of the Ministry of Defence comes without any prior consultation regarding the public or private use that would be made of the visit, and despite the commitment to visit the Latvian base on the dates and with the indications that the government considered most relevant,” the statement said.
The PP points out that the decision “contravenes the most elementary good practices and customs of a democracy” and that it “demonstrates, once again, that there is no thematic area in which the Government does not operate in a sectarian way, trying to exclude an important part of Spanish society, in this case, the one that our party represents”.
The People’s Party stresses that with the impediment placed by the Government, it projects “an image of weakness of our country in a matter of State such as defence and the commitment to our allies at a crucial moment in the future of Europe”.
The Minister of Defence, Margarita Robles, said that the visit was prevented because it coincided with a “very important” NATO exercise, but that the opposition leader has “always the doors open” to meet any military unit, reports Europa Press.
Feijóo knows that he will be very welcome in any military unit, but not when operations are being carried out that could distort the visit,” she said.
