GREATER practical and financial help for parents is on the cards now that a new 'family law' has passed its second reading in the Council of Ministers, with extended maternity and paternity pay, protected time...
Spanish soldier embracing Afghan refugee goes viral as EU praises country's solidarity
23/08/2021
A FEMALE soldier embracing an Afghan woman who had just arrived on an evacuee plane in Torrejón de Ardoz (Madrid) has gone viral and shown the 'human' side of the Armed Forces.
With five aircraft having made the return trip to Spain and hundreds of Afghans and Spaniards posted in the Asian country on board, the forces and the military air base have been working around the clock in the past week.
Spanish ambassador in Afghanistan, Gabriel Ferrán, is one of the many international diplomats whose job has ended and who is due to be repatriated, but he has opted to stay on a little longer to ensure everyone gets out safely.
Soldiers are working as 'meet and greet' personnel for newly-arrived Afghans, guiding them and ensuring they reach their final destination safely.
One of them was seen walking hand in hand with a refugee after the third plane, carrying 110 passengers, landed in Madrid, and then turned and gave her a hug, kissed her, stroked her face and clutched her hands.
Social media users have shared the ministry of defence's video showing the two women in an emotional embrace, adding comments about 'supportive hugs that help heal the soul' and, in many cases, admitting the footage moved them to tears.
Lots of Twitter users said how 'proud' they were of their Armed Forces, recalling that the military does not just exist to fight in wars, but plays a crucial rôle in international aid and in ensuring the physical and emotional wellbeing of civilians caught up in crisis and tragedy in their home countries.
Government figures say around 800 people have been evacuated from Afghanistan to Spain so far, and that as at the end of the first week, these included 555 Afghan nationals, of whom 350 have already applied for asylum.
USA to use southern Spanish air bases for Afghan evacuees
Meanwhile, Spanish president Pedro Sánchez has spoken on the phone to his US counterpart Joe Biden – on the same day as the latter named individual countries and thanked them for their help in the Afghanistan evacuation operation, but without naming Spain.
This was also around the same time the above-mentioned plane landed in Torrejón de Ardoz, and 64 of the passengers were US nationals or residents.
But this oversight did not cloud what Sánchez afterwards called a 'fruitful' conversation, and in which it was agreed that the air bases in Rota (Cádiz province) and Morón de la Frontera (Sevilla province) would be used as a connecting point between Afghanistan and the USA.
Around 4,000 Afghan refugees are expected to pass through these two air bases en route to the North American country.
Spain, 'an example of the European soul'
Spain has been held up by the European Union as an example of solidarity and proactive humanitarian solutions.
Current Council of Europe president Charles Michel was effusive in his praise.
“Dear president, dear Pedro, I want to express our gratitude to you, Pedro, to your government and for your leadership. Because your decision to immediately adopt this initiative [chartering planes to Afghanistan to take refugees to safety] demonstrates true European dignity in defending the Europe project based upon fundamental principles and values,” he said.
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen (second picture, right) called Spain 'an example of Europe's soul', highlighting the country especially when thanking member States for 'welcoming refugees into their family'.
Meeting with Ursula von der Leyen, Charles Michel, and EU High Commissioner for Foreign Affairs – Spanish former minister Josep Borrell – Sánchez (second picture, left) insisted he did not consider the last 20 years of Spain's military presence in Afghanistan to have been in vain, even though it has ended with the Taliban back in power.
He explained how a dedicated hub had been set up at Torrejón de Ardoz air base and that the country has been 'closely monitoring' the situation in Afghanistan 'from the very first second'.
“Because Afghanistan and Spain are closely linked – we were there for 20 years when Afghanistan asked us for military support,” Sánchez says.
He recalls that the Spanish Army built hospitals and main roads in the Asian country during those two decades and that 'thanks to these efforts', Spain had helped to 'guarantee a certain level of prosperity' in Afghanistan.
Sánchez said Spain is showing 'the best principles and values of the European Union' and how much can be achieved when the EU pulls together.
Related Topics
You may also be interested in ...
-
Property for sale in Torrejón de Ardoz
-
Businesses & Services in Torrejón de Ardoz
-
Property for sale in Madrid
-
Property for rent in Madrid
-
Businesses & Services in Madrid
-
Property for sale in Rota
-
Property for rent in Rota
-
Businesses & Services in Rota
-
Property for sale in Morón de la Frontera
-
Businesses & Services in Morón de la Frontera
A FEMALE soldier embracing an Afghan woman who had just arrived on an evacuee plane in Torrejón de Ardoz (Madrid) has gone viral and shown the 'human' side of the Armed Forces.
With five aircraft having made the return trip to Spain and hundreds of Afghans and Spaniards posted in the Asian country on board, the forces and the military air base have been working around the clock in the past week.
Spanish ambassador in Afghanistan, Gabriel Ferrán, is one of the many international diplomats whose job has ended and who is due to be repatriated, but he has opted to stay on a little longer to ensure everyone gets out safely.
Soldiers are working as 'meet and greet' personnel for newly-arrived Afghans, guiding them and ensuring they reach their final destination safely.
One of them was seen walking hand in hand with a refugee after the third plane, carrying 110 passengers, landed in Madrid, and then turned and gave her a hug, kissed her, stroked her face and clutched her hands.
Social media users have shared the ministry of defence's video showing the two women in an emotional embrace, adding comments about 'supportive hugs that help heal the soul' and, in many cases, admitting the footage moved them to tears.
Lots of Twitter users said how 'proud' they were of their Armed Forces, recalling that the military does not just exist to fight in wars, but plays a crucial rôle in international aid and in ensuring the physical and emotional wellbeing of civilians caught up in crisis and tragedy in their home countries.
Government figures say around 800 people have been evacuated from Afghanistan to Spain so far, and that as at the end of the first week, these included 555 Afghan nationals, of whom 350 have already applied for asylum.
USA to use southern Spanish air bases for Afghan evacuees
Meanwhile, Spanish president Pedro Sánchez has spoken on the phone to his US counterpart Joe Biden – on the same day as the latter named individual countries and thanked them for their help in the Afghanistan evacuation operation, but without naming Spain.
This was also around the same time the above-mentioned plane landed in Torrejón de Ardoz, and 64 of the passengers were US nationals or residents.
But this oversight did not cloud what Sánchez afterwards called a 'fruitful' conversation, and in which it was agreed that the air bases in Rota (Cádiz province) and Morón de la Frontera (Sevilla province) would be used as a connecting point between Afghanistan and the USA.
Around 4,000 Afghan refugees are expected to pass through these two air bases en route to the North American country.
Spain, 'an example of the European soul'
Spain has been held up by the European Union as an example of solidarity and proactive humanitarian solutions.
Current Council of Europe president Charles Michel was effusive in his praise.
“Dear president, dear Pedro, I want to express our gratitude to you, Pedro, to your government and for your leadership. Because your decision to immediately adopt this initiative [chartering planes to Afghanistan to take refugees to safety] demonstrates true European dignity in defending the Europe project based upon fundamental principles and values,” he said.
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen (second picture, right) called Spain 'an example of Europe's soul', highlighting the country especially when thanking member States for 'welcoming refugees into their family'.
Meeting with Ursula von der Leyen, Charles Michel, and EU High Commissioner for Foreign Affairs – Spanish former minister Josep Borrell – Sánchez (second picture, left) insisted he did not consider the last 20 years of Spain's military presence in Afghanistan to have been in vain, even though it has ended with the Taliban back in power.
He explained how a dedicated hub had been set up at Torrejón de Ardoz air base and that the country has been 'closely monitoring' the situation in Afghanistan 'from the very first second'.
“Because Afghanistan and Spain are closely linked – we were there for 20 years when Afghanistan asked us for military support,” Sánchez says.
He recalls that the Spanish Army built hospitals and main roads in the Asian country during those two decades and that 'thanks to these efforts', Spain had helped to 'guarantee a certain level of prosperity' in Afghanistan.
Sánchez said Spain is showing 'the best principles and values of the European Union' and how much can be achieved when the EU pulls together.
Related Topics
You may also be interested in ...
- Property for sale in Torrejón de Ardoz
- Businesses & Services in Torrejón de Ardoz
- Property for sale in Madrid
- Property for rent in Madrid
- Businesses & Services in Madrid
- Property for sale in Rota
- Property for rent in Rota
- Businesses & Services in Rota
- Property for sale in Morón de la Frontera
- Businesses & Services in Morón de la Frontera
More News & Information
BRITISH media outlets have lauded Spain's Queen Letizia's effortlessly-elegant dress sense over the past few days as she accompanies her husband King Felipe VI to London.
SPAIN'S headcount has risen to its highest figure in history – for the first time ever, the population has broken the 48 million barrier.
GERMAN supermarket chain Aldi has announced a major expansion plan for Spain in 2024, with its distribution centre in Sagunto (Valencia province) set to open next month and a another one on the cards for the north.