Albares discusses Almeida’s decision to evict Casa Árabe from Madrid with Arab Ambassadors

Eduardo González Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares met this Thursday, July 23, with members of the Council of Arab Ambassadors residing in Spain to discuss the Madrid City Council's decision to reclaim the Casa Árabe's headquarters for municipal use. On June 29, the Madrid City Council formally informed the Extraordinary Governing Council of the Casa Árabe Consortium that the Mayor of Madrid, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, had decided to reclaim the Escuelas Aguirre building "for its renovation and subsequent use by the City Council." The building, located at the intersection of Alcalá and O'Donnell streets, has housed Casa Árabe's headquarters since March 2008, following a major interior renovation. However, according to the City Council, the withdrawal of the Community of Madrid from the Casa Árabe Consortium, announced last January and ratified on June 29, implies a modification of the Board of Trustees and “enables the City Council to exercise its right to recover the building without compensation, in accordance with the transfer decree of April 28, 2008, which regulated the temporary and free transfer of the property” and which “establishes, among the grounds for termination of the transfer, ‘any alteration in the composition of the consortium’”. In response to this announcement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs accused the City Council that same week of acting “with absolute institutional disloyalty” for having made this decision “without any prior communication or indication to the consortium members”, according to sources at the Ministry who spoke to The Diplomat. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, this decision, like the one made by the Autonomous Community of Madrid regarding Casa Árabe, “has a distinctly partisan character, calls into question its commitment to working constructively for the development of friendly relations and dialogue between Spain and the Arab world, and constitutes an attack on the efforts of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation to build a national foreign policy,” the sources continued. During Thursday's meeting, as reported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a press release, Albares shared with the Arab ambassadors his “surprise” at a decision “announced without dialogue or prior notification to the consortium members just when Spain enjoys the best relations in its history with Arab countries.” The announcement by the City Council, according to the Ministry, “has caused deep unease among the participants and students of Casa Árabe's activities, as well as among the residents of Madrid.” Albares also reiterated that “his hand is extended to the Madrid City Council to reconsider this decision” and stated that he is awaiting the mayor's response to the letter sent requesting a meeting to address the current situation. “The City Council has been part of the Governing Council and has always participated in all decisions regarding the administration and management of Casa Árabe that have been made collectively by said Governing Council,” the Ministry stated. “Therefore, the City Council has participated throughout all these years in its oversight and monitoring, signing its minutes, without ever having questioned the use of the Aguirre Schools during these 20 years,” it added. At the beginning of this week, according to the press release, the Council of Arab Ambassadors in Madrid sent a letter to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs supporting the work of Casa Árabe and expressing its support for its continued operation at the current location, praising the work carried out by the Ministry in recent years. Likewise, Arabic students at the institution have requested a meeting with representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to discuss how to continue their courses and will meet with the minister next Tuesday. “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation reiterates its support for the work of Casa Árabe, a public diplomacy institution with the Arab world with a 20-year history and headquarters in Madrid and Córdoba, throughout which its indispensable role in Spain’s foreign policy has been highlighted. The Ministry offers a sincere dialogue to the Madrid City Council to reach a solution,” the press release continued. “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation emphasizes that the image and international standing of the Spanish capital would be compromised if this decision were to be implemented,” it concluded.

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