Albares asks Europe for “predictable and sustainable” aid to Ukraine and a “clear” position regarding the new Syrian authorities

Eduardo González The Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, defended this Thursday in Berlin that Europe guarantees a “predictable and sustainable” military and financial aid to Ukraine and warned that European countries must be “careful” in their contacts with the new Syrian authorities and “make clear what we want and what we are willing to support in the future of Syria”: Albares participated in the German capital in the meeting of the G5+, the group of support for Ukraine formed at the end of November by Spain, Germany, France, Italy, Poland and the United Kingdom. In addition to the Spanish minister, the meeting will be attended by his colleagues from Germany, Annalena Baerbock (as host); Poland, Radoslaw Sikorski; France, Jean-Noël Barrot; and Italy, Antonio Tajani; in addition to the number two of the British Foreign Office Secretary, David Lammy. Also participating as guests are the Ukrainian Foreign Minister, Andrii Sybiha, and the EU High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas. Speaking to the press upon his arrival at the meeting, Albares warned that European countries must consider “clearly the best way to continue supporting Ukraine”, and that this means “predictability in the delivery of the material they need” and seeking “the best way to finance the effort that Ukraine requires to exercise this legitimate defence”, either through frozen Russian assets or the use of its own European assets through Eurobonds. In any case, the minister assured that, at this time, the main focus of attention is not the possible sending of a peacekeeping force to Ukraine in the event that a ceasefire is reached, defended by the French president, Emmanuel Macron, but “how to obtain aid that is predictable from the point of view of deliveries and that is sustainable from the point of view of financing”. Another priority “in the very short term,” he added, is “how to help the Ukrainian energy system that is being systematically crushed and destroyed by Russia, in what is a flagrant violation of International Law and which is leading to a large part of Ukraine being deprived of such basic things as heating or even light and electricity.” Syria The other focus of the debate in Berlin is the situation in Syria. According to Albares, Spain keeps its Embassy in Syria “open and operational, adapted, of course, to the security conditions of the moment.” “Our chargé d'affaires is in Beirut, but the idea is to reinforce it and for it to be able to return to Damascus as soon as those security conditions are met again,” he added. According to the minister, “it is important, because it is a great opportunity once (Bashar al) Assad has fallen and a dictatorship is left behind, that we have contacts with the new authorities, and I will explain this,” but, he warned, “we have to be careful in these contacts, and we have to make clear to the new authorities what we want and what we are willing to support in the future of Syria.” “That means guaranteeing the territorial integrity of Syria, guaranteeing human rights and especially the rights of minorities, whether ethnic or religious, and at the same time we have to request that what is a military movement be transformed into a political movement,” he explained. “We want a peaceful and peaceful Syria, an inclusive Syria for all, and also for minorities, and a Syria that has its territorial integrity guaranteed,” he added.

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