<h6><strong>Eduardo González</strong></h6> <h4><strong>The Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Defense, José Manuel Albares and Margarita Robles, received the UN Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, in Madrid on Monday, to whom they conveyed Spain's “firm commitment” to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).</strong></h4> “I conveyed to him Spain's firm commitment to the United Nations and its peacekeeping missions, which is reflected in our participation in missions such as UNIFIL in Lebanon, key to stability in the Middle East,” Albares wrote on social media after meeting with Lacroix at the Palace Hotel. For her part, Margarita Robles assured the UN official that Spain “will always defend democratic values, peace, and stability” within the framework of the United Nations, NATO, and the European Union, citing as an example Spain's contribution to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, in which Spain has been present since September 2006. According to the Ministry of Defense, in those nearly 20 years, “the members of the successive deployed contingents have carried out their work impeccably, which has earned them, and continues to earn them, the recognition and gratitude of the Lebanese authorities.” Currently, she added, “a contingent of 650 Spanish soldiers, 500 of whom belong to the 16th Canary Islands Brigade, is responsible for securing the country's southern border following the weakening of Hezbollah militias.” “It was a pleasure to meet in Spain with the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Defense to discuss common priorities, including Spain’s important contributions to UNIFIL,” Lacroix wrote on social media. Jean-Pierre Lacroix himself participated this Monday in a conference on Security and Defense, organized by the newspaper 'El País' in Madrid, where he warned of the “alarming backsliding” in human rights, including women’s rights, and in climate change, a “worrying and unacceptable trend” that has been exacerbated by the strengthening of “unilateralism in conflict resolution.” However, he emphasized that the UN “continues to have the support of almost all member states” and warned that multilateralism is “the most pragmatic and effective way to address conflicts” and “the only realistic policy,” because “no country can face the challenges alone.” At the same event, Albares stated that “the EU is the largest political and economic union on the planet” and, therefore, it is not enough to “talk about a strong Europe, we must make it a reality,” to transform Europe into a “political power” capable of confronting “those who advocate abandoning multilateralism and peace.” “Our union in a world of great powers is a strength, and this is something those who prefer a divided Europe know, because they want weakened Europeans,” he added.
