The war in Ukraine has starred this Friday in the central act of Military Easter, which has returned to normal after two years of restrictions due to the pandemic. As he did in his Christmas Eve speech, the King has once again condemned the “unjustifiable, illegal and brutal Russian aggression against Ukraine, which has returned the war to our continent, has seriously altered the international order and puts European security at serious risk ”. But this aggression, added Felipe VI, “far from undermining unity and causing fissures among all those who believe in International Law, peace, democratic values and an international order based on rules, what it has achieved is to strengthen our cohesion and present a common front to the invasion of Ukraine. There is no doubt that this conflict at the gates of NATO affects all countries and hence the importance of maintaining unity of action with our partners and allies ”, he insisted.
In his speech before the military commissions meeting in the Throne Room of the Royal Palace on behalf of the Armed Forces and the Civil Guard, the King linked the Russian invasion with the increase in the Spanish military budget, assuring that “the war in Ukraine It has made evident the need to invest in Defense”. “In a geostrategic environment like this one,” he argued, “in order for our armies and Navy to be able to meet everything that is demanded of them, it is necessary to provide them with the necessary resources to guarantee high-quality training, sufficient military capabilities and technological vanguard and a flexible and suitable operation”.
After recalling the “significant increase in the investment chapter for the improvement and modernization of military capabilities” foreseen in the Defense budget for this year, which increases by almost 26% compared to 2022, he added: “The challenge now is acquire the means and equip the units with what is necessary to achieve an even more modern, effective, viable and sustainable Joint Force in the medium and long term”.
Dressed in the uniform of a captain general of the Air and Space Army (the new name of the Air Force, as he himself has pointed out), Felipe VI recalled the summit held by NATO in Madrid last June and described it as “a historic and transcendental event that made it easier for us to strengthen our transition process towards a modern and democratic society” Spain’s entry into the Alianza Atñantica, which last year marked four decades.
In 2022, three decades have also passed since the dispatch of the first Spanish contingent to Bosnia-Herzegovina, which inaugurated Spanish participation in missions abroad, of which the King wanted to highlight, in addition to the “high degree of training and preparation” of the Spanish military, “their closeness and involvement with the local population”. The fact that two Spanish generals are leading the UN mission in Lebanon and the EU in Mali and a third is going to command the NATO mission in Iraq from May is, in his opinion, “unequivocal proof of the prestige International” of the Spanish Army.
The King, who began his speech by recalling his double status as “Head of State and Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces”, concluded by emphasizing that what most encourages the military is having earned “the recognition and admiration of all of society ” and, addressing them, he added: “You have me by your side and thus you can count on the unconditional support of the Crown”.
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The war in Ukraine has also focused the speech of the Defense Minister, Margarita Robles. After reviewing the solidarity measures taken by Spain in the face of a war for which “Putin is the only one to blame” and praising “the courage and heroism with which the Ukrainian people are facing this illegitimate aggression”, the minister has promised that Spanish support for kyiv will not waver. “We are not going to leave them alone. Their suffering is ours, because every time a missile falls on Ukrainian soil, all of us who believe in peace and freedom are also its target”, she said.
He has also referred to the increase in his department’s budget, which he has described as a “responsible effort” and of which he has assured that, “in addition to implying an unequivocal commitment to peace and our security, it constitutes a clear and determined commitment to the industry Spanish and for the creation of jobs”. Likewise, he has ensured that the budgetary growth “will allow the consolidation of the remuneration improvements made in recent years; strengthen equality policies and continue with the implementation of measures that allow the reconciliation of personal, family and professional life” of the military.
After recalling the approval of the new NATO Strategic Concept, at the allied summit in Madrid, and the green light for the Strategic Compass, its equivalent in the EU, the minister has assured that the Spanish presidency of the Union, in the second semester of this year, “will once again highlight Spain’s commitment” to European values and will reinforce its “international leadership”.
The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, the Minister of Defense and his counterpart of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, have received the King and Queen in front of the façade of La Almudena. Next, followed by the Chief of the Defense Staff, Admiral General Teodoro López-Calderón, Felipe VI reviewed the Royal Guard in the Plaza de la Armería, who paid him honours. The Kings then greeted their 169 guests at the Saleta de Gasparini who, after the speeches and the imposition of some twenty decorations, have offered a Spanish wine, which journalists have not been able to access.
Sánchez, who for protocol reasons did not intervene in the act of the Royal Palace, has posted a tweet in which, in addition to congratulating the Armed Forces on Military Easter, he says: “In these troubled times due to the war provoked in Ukraine by Russia, you are the guarantors of our rule of law. Thank you for your commitment to the service of Spain, peace and security.”
The Military Easter speech is the first given by the King each year, after the one on Christmas Eve. On the 24th, the Monarch warned of the risks of the “erosion of institutions”, called for responsibility and asked to “reflect” on the serious consequences of the “deterioration of coexistence” and the growing social division. The words of Felipe VI occurred in the midst of the biggest institutional clash in recent decades, after the Constitutional Court suspended the processing in the Cortes of the legal reform that modified the system of election of its magistrates and that the Government had tried to approve by an express procedure. Three days later, the Judiciary unanimously elected the magistrates proposed by the conservative sector for the Constitutional Court.
This Military Easter, whose origin dates back to the reign of Carlos III, is the ninth that King Felipe presides over. On January 6 of last year, the King took advantage of Military Easter to highlight the “pride of Spanish society” for its Armed Forces and its “feeling of admiration and appreciation” for the “immediacy and efficiency” with which they had reacted to emergencies such as the covid pandemic, the eruption of the La Palma volcano or the storm Philomena. He also wanted to honor the victims of ETA on the tenth anniversary of the end of terrorist violence.
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