This Saturday, the Ministry of Defense has limited the scope of the role that the Maó naval station (in Spanish, Mahón), in the east of the island of Menorca, plays in NATO strategy. The department headed by Margarita Robles has pointed out, through a statement, that "there is no provision for the Balearic territory to become a naval base for the organization, beyond its current role as a specific port of call for the permanent fleets of the Atlantic Alliance.
In reality, NATO does not have its own naval bases. What it has are facilities to use the ports of the member countries. In April of last year, the Spanish Government offered Maó to the Atlantic Alliance as a “port with permanent diplomatic authorization” so that ships participating in Operation Sea Guardian can dock and anchor, and since then it has been functioning as such. This means that allied ships do not have to request authorization to dock or anchor at the Menorca naval base, but can go directly to it and include it in their navigation plans. It is the same situation that occurs in Rota (Cádiz) and Cartagena (Murcia), which are also bases of the Spanish Navy at the disposal of NATO.
Operation Sea Guardian, directed by the Allied Maritime Command (Marcom), based in Northwood (United Kingdom), has as its missions deterrence and protection against terrorist attacks, knowledge of the maritime environment or the development of regional security capabilities. The Maó base has been chosen because it has large fuel tanks and water cisterns, as well as disused underground tunnels, which facilitates the supply of NATO ships that anchor or dock at its docks. In addition, it has a large natural harbor and is located in a strategic location, in the center of the Western Mediterranean, less than 400 kilometers away from Marseille (France), Algiers (Algeria) or Alghero, on the Italian island of Sardinia.
The Defense statement comes after Podemos and Més per Menorca have criticized the conversion of Maó into a new Spanish base for logistical support for NATO ships, reported this Friday by EL PAÍS. The general secretary of Podemos, Ione Belarra, has criticized on the social network Through a statement, the Balearic nationalist party Més per Menorca has also rejected the decision of the Ministry of Defense, which it has called an “imposition”, and has considered that “the current geopolitical threats will not be solved with the promotion of rearmament policies.” nor favoring violence.”
“NATO military bases in Spain not only represent an unacceptable transfer of sovereignty, they are also playing a key role in US support for the genocide that Israel is committing against the Palestinian people,” Belarra wrote on the social network On the same channel, the former Minister of Equality and Podemos candidate for the European elections, Irene Montero, spoke: “Parliament voted for a president for Spain, not a Secretary General of NATO. Not to the war. Not in our name.”
The NATO military bases in Spain not only represent an unacceptable transfer of sovereignty, they are also playing a key role in US support for the genocide that Israel is committing against the Palestinian people. https://t.co/DkOzzq8poD
— Ione Belarra (@ionebelarra) March 29, 2024
Both before and after its break with Sumar, Podemos has attacked the Government for what it considers a lack of forcefulness towards the Executive of Benjamin Netanyahu since the beginning of Israel's offensive in Gaza.
Més por Menorca has announced that it will ask both the Island Council of Menorca and the Government of the Balearic Islands for explanations as to whether they were aware that the Executive had made such an offer to NATO. “Menorcan society has the right to know what use is being given to these facilities in our territory,” said Josep Juaneda, mayor of Ciutadella, from Més per Menorca.
Izquierda Unida, through its federal head of International Policy, Jon Rodríguez, has also shown its “firm opposition” to the Maó naval station becoming a logistical support base for NATO ships, joining Rota (Cádiz) and Cartagena (Murcia). “IU shows its total rejection” of this possibility and emphasizes that, “as a member of the coalition government”, it will maintain its “traditional and clear defense of Spain being a peacebuilding actor”, opposed to the “military blocs”. .
For his part, the mayor of Maó, the socialist Héctor Pons, has declared to IB3 Ràdio that visits by NATO ships to his city are “recurrent.” "In no case is there talk of us entering into any type of conflict, but rather the port facilities are used to attend to these ships if they have a breakdown, refuel or any issue," he specified.
The Spanish Armed Forces have been participating in Operation Sea Guardian for two decades, and in 2024 they are expected to provide, during different periods throughout the year, a submarine, a maritime surveillance plane, a frigate and a supply ship, in addition of a patrol car with a special operations team permanently alerted to act in case of crisis. Along with the embarked units, Spain provides the naval bases of Rota, Cartagena and Maó as Forward Logistic Sites (FLS) or Advanced Logistics Places. The cost of Spanish participation in this operation exceeds 27 million euros annually.
Subscribe to continue reading
Read without limits
Keep reading
I am already a subscriber
_