The Minister for Defence hails relations with the US

The Minister for Defence, Margarita Robles, has hailed Spain’s “magnificent” bilateral relations with the US during a trip to the Rota Naval Base in Cadiz.

“This visit is a symbol of the collaboration, the joint work in the world between two allied countries committed to democratic values,” said Robles.

She also paid tribute to “all the men and women of the US Armed Forces who have died in peace missions around the world, paying a very high price, which is why we feel so close to them.

“Let the world know that Spain and the US are fully and completely committed to peace, values and democracy,” the Minister added.

US charge d’affaires, Conrad Tribble, thanked Minister Robles for “the 70 years of Spanish hospitality towards the US Armed Forces, here in Rota and in Moron”.

“Besides the operation, we have more than 6,800 US military personnel and their families who call Spain their home. We are friends, we are partners, we are allies,” he added.

The charge d’affaires also praised the considerable” economic dimension of the stay of US troops at Spanish bases.

“It directly supports more than 5,000 Spanish jobs and invests more than 250 million dollars in the local economy,” he said.

Robles was in Cadiz on July 8 to inspect The USS ‘Hershel Woody Williams’ an ESB-4 model mobile expeditionary platform dedicated to support NATO allies in the Mediterranean and African waters, especially naval aviation and amphibious operations.

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