The Diplomat
The Minister of Defense, Margarita Robles, yesterday held a meeting via videoconference with the Spanish contingent deployed in Turkey, whose members she thanked for their “essential and fundamental” work during the rescue efforts following the earthquake of February 6.
During the videoconference, held at the headquarters of the Ministry of Defense, Robles was accompanied by the Chief of Defense Staff (JEMAD), Admiral General Teodoro López Calderón, and by the Army Chief of Staff (JEME), Army General Amador Enseñat.
“I want to thank them for the effort and work they made during those days. Your presence there was essential and fundamental”, said the minister to Lieutenant Colonel José María Contreras, head of the Spanish mission integrated in NATO’s Operation Support to Turkey.
The Spanish contingent was involved in the aid to Turkey developing, above all, humanitarian and logistical support activities after the earthquake that devastated mainly the south of the country and caused tens of thousands of deaths. According to the Ministry, their work was key to the coordination and deployment of personnel and means of other national support, such as the UME, firefighters and NGOs.
“Without you it would have been impossible,” said the minister, who announced the celebration of a collective act of congratulation when the contingent returns to Spain “to thank you for your effort and your work”. This past Thursday, the Spanish mission participated in an act of recognition of the Turkish Army to the different contingents that participated in the rescue tasks.
“We joined in recognition of all the Armed Forces, since personnel from the Army, the Navy, the Air Force, the Space Army and the UME also took part, as well as civilians,” said the head of the mission, who will return to Spain at the end of June. Specifically, the personnel of the Expeditionary Combat Group Daedalus-23, which was deployed in the Mediterranean, and the members of the second Emergency Intervention Battalion (BIEM II) of the UME also took part in the support to Turkey.
Regarding the country’s reconstruction plans, Lieutenant Colonel Contreras informed that housing construction processes have been launched in the most affected areas, the results of which will be visible “in the medium term”.
Spain has maintained a Patriot Unit in Turkey since January 2015, as part of the NATO mission to reinforce the country’s air defense capabilities and specifically for the defense of the civilian population of Adana, a city of two million inhabitants located 120 kilometers from the Syrian border. The Spanish unit is composed of 149 military personnel and is deployed at the Incirlik air base in Adana. According to the Minister of Defense, this is an “especially symbolic” mission whose strategic work underlines Spain’s commitment as a serious and responsible NATO ally. Lieutenant Colonel Contreras, for his part, stressed that the mission has meant “an extremely important qualitative leap in terms of anti-missile defense”.
Likewise, and in view of the imminent return of the Spanish personnel, the JEMAD urged the head of the contingent to “keep his attention” on the final part of the mission before his return home. “I am sure that everything will go well and we will all be able to welcome you soon, especially your families.” In the same vein, the JEME asked the lieutenant colonel that the mission continue “until the last day as if it were the first” and conveyed his congratulations to them for the mission accomplished. “In addition to fulfilling the mission you were entrusted with, you did everything possible to collaborate with the civilian population on the ground,” he added.
