The Ministers of Foreign Affairs, EU and Cooperation, Arancha González Laya, and of Defence, Margarita Robles, announced today that Spain will synchronize the departure of its troops from Afghanistan with that of the United States and other allies, who have announced that they will end to the ‘Resolute Support’ mission coinciding with the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks.
The ministers have participated, together with the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, for Latin America and the Caribbean, Cristina Gallach, and the Chief of Defence Staff, Teodoro López Calderón, in a special session by videoconference of the Defence Ministers and NATO Foreign Affairs, to discuss the withdrawal plan and the promotion of the peace process in the Central Asian country.
The secretaries of State and Defence of the United States, Anthony Blinken and Lloyd Austin, have discussed with the allied ministers the announcement and the way to carry out the withdrawal plan.
During her speech, the Defence Minister referred to the remarkable objectives achieved by the ISAF and ‘Resolute Support’ missions and stated that “the general lines of the withdrawal plan proposed by the United States offer sufficient margin to ensure that they are consolidated. the democratic progress achieved in the country in terms of human rights, education and the well-being of women and children”, while “preventing it from becoming a sanctuary for terrorist organizations”.
Margarita Robles stressed that “the achievements made by Afghan society in these 20 years have been possible thanks to NATO missions and the tireless perseverance and sacrifice of the allied Armed Forces.”
