Spain will send naval military support to Cyprus to contribute to deterrence against Iranian attacks

Eduardo González Spain will send the frigate ‘Cristóbal Colón’ and the supply ship ‘Cantabria’ to Cyprus to contribute to deterrence and security against the attacks the country, an EU member but not a NATO member, is facing from Iran and the Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah. The two ships, as reported this Thursday, March 5, by the Ministry of Defense, will travel to Cyprus accompanied by the French aircraft carrier ‘Charles de Gaulle’ and other ships from the Greek Navy. Cyprus, which currently holds the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU and is not a NATO member, has requested support from the European Union member states. So far, France and Greece, in addition to the United Kingdom, have responded. The frigate ‘Cristóbal Colón’ joined the ‘Charles de Gaulle’ Naval Group on March 3rd to carry out escort, protection, and advanced training duties in the Baltic Sea. The group will now head to the Mediterranean, arriving off the coast of Crete around March 10th. The supply ship ‘Cantabria’ will also briefly put to sea to provide fuel and logistical support during the Naval Group's transit through the Gulf of Cádiz. According to the Ministry of Defense, the ‘Cristóbal Colón’ is Spain's most technologically advanced frigate. Its mission in the Mediterranean will consist of providing air defense and protection, thus complementing the capabilities of the Spanish ‘Patriot’ battery deployed in Turkey. It will also be on standby to support any evacuation of civilian personnel who may be affected by the conflict. “With the deployment of the ‘Cristóbal Colón’, Spain demonstrates its commitment to the defense of the European Union and its eastern border,” concludes the Ministry's press release. The newspaper ‘El País’ had already reported on Thursday that Spain was prepared to provide military support to Cyprus despite the government's decision not to support the US and Israeli offensive against Iran and not to allow the use of the Spanish bases of Morón and Rota for this purpose—a position that, according to government sources cited by the newspaper, is not incompatible with military support for an EU member like Cyprus. Regarding this, Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares declared this Thursday on Radio Nacional de España that the government's position is "no to war," but warned that rejecting the American and Israeli offensive, on the one hand, and acting to prevent attacks on bases in Cyprus, on the other, "are different things," because, in the latter case, the affected party is a European country. For its part, the People's Party (PP) has taken advantage of the frigate's deployment to once again criticize the government and its parliamentary partners: "Good morning, Sumar, Esquerra, EH Bildu, Bloque, Chunta, Compromís, and Podemos. Part of the government says it's with Trump. How do you see it from that side of the wall? Have they told you that we've sent an armed frigate to the conflict zone? Or did you find out by watching TV, like everyone else?" they wrote on social media. Last Monday, the Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, spoke with the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides, “to show him our full support and solidarity in the face of the attack suffered,” as he wrote on social media. Also last Monday, the European Commission announced that it would discuss “in the coming days” the possible activation of the EU's mutual defense clause due to the attacks on Cyprus. The mutual defense clause, established in Article 42.7 of the EU Treaty, commits member states to provide assistance if one of them is attacked, although its activation would require a prior legal and political assessment. Spain condemns Iranian attacks in Turkey and Azerbaijan Furthermore, the Spanish government on Thursday "strongly" condemned the new attacks by Iran in Turkey and Azerbaijan in recent hours, which come on top of the attacks against member countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council, especially Qatar, which on Thursday left eight people injured, and reiterated its solidarity with these friendly countries. "These indiscriminate attacks by Iran, including civilian targets, are completely unjustifiable under international law, constitute flagrant violations of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of these countries, and increase the risk of escalation," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated in a press release. "Spain reiterates its commitment to a return to diplomacy and dialogue for an urgent de-escalation, which will allow us to work for the security and stability of the region," it concluded. Lebanon For his part, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez spoke on Thursday with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun “about the grave situation in Beirut and the rest of the country,” as he wrote on social media. “The Lebanese people can count on our full support and humanitarian assistance for the thousands of displaced people,” he assured them. “Stop the escalation. No more destruction. No to war,” he concluded. Albares also spoke with his Lebanese counterpart, Youssef Raggi, to convey, “at such a critical time for Lebanon,” his “support for its sovereignty and territorial integrity.” “The Lebanese people can count on Spanish humanitarian aid,” he posted on social media. “We want a sovereign Lebanon, free from armed groups, foreign attacks, and at peace,” he stated.

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