The Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, José Manuel Albares, has thanked the international community for its support and expressions of solidarity with Spain following the fire in Los Gallardos, Almería – one of the deadliest in our history, which has already claimed 12 lives and burnt more than 6,000 hectares. Albares is in constant contact with many of his counterparts, and specifically with the ministers of the United Kingdom and Belgium, to exchange information regarding their affected nationals.
This small region in eastern Almería is home to one of the largest communities of foreign residents in Andalusia, meaning there are citizens of various nationalities.
Minister Albares has been in contact with his counterparts in the United Kingdom, Belgium, Canada and the Netherlands, who have expressed their solidarity and support in the wake of the serious fire. In the case of the United Kingdom and Belgium, the ministers have also exchanged information on the situation of nationals from these countries who have been affected by the fire, and have agreed to remain in contact.
European solidarity
Solidarity was very much in evidence during last night’s quarter-final match between Spain and Belgium. In addition to the minute’s silence at the start of the match, Maxime Prévot, the Belgian Foreign Minister, sent his deepest condolences and expressed his full solidarity with Spain, its people and its firefighters. “Our thoughts are with Andalusia, devastated by fires of terrible ferocity, a second home for many Belgians,” he wrote a few hours before the match.
Condolences have also been received from the Foreign ministers of Turkey, Estonia, Italy and Ireland, amongst others.
EU support
From Brussels, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, conveyed a message of deep sorrow on behalf of the European Union, offering to mobilise the EU Solidarity Fund. For his part, the President of the Council, Antonio Costa, also reaffirmed the EU’s commitment to prevention, preparedness and climate resilience, and conveyed the EU’s solidarity through the European Civil Protection Mechanism.
Messages of support have also been posted on social media by the Ecuadorian Foreign Ministry, whilst civil society organisations such as Amnesty International have expressed their condolences and paid tribute to the work of the firefighters, the Military Emergency Unit (UME), and the security and emergency services who continue to work on the ground in extremely difficult conditions.
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