Russia has been perplexed
by Spain's refusal to authorize the entry of Russian warships
into the port of Ceuta, the Russian Foreign Ministry declared this Saturday.
The Spanish Government rejected that
the anti-submarine vessel Vice-admiral Kulako and the Altai vessel
made a logistical stopover in
Ceuta
scheduled for August 18-20. This decision, warns the Russian Government, contradicts the "spirit of the Declaration of Strategic Partnership signed between the two countries in 2009".
The Spanish Defense Ministry had approved the visit, scheduled between Wednesday and Friday of this week. But the Foreign Ministry decided to reject the request. "With perplexity we learned of the refusal of the Spanish authorities to give permission for the ships of the Northern Fleet of the Russian Navy to enter the port of Ceuta," said the spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry,
Maria Zajarova,
quoted in a release.
What the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Spain asked the Russian interlocutors was
detailed information on the subsequent destination of the ship,
which was not provided, according to
El Confidencial
.
Sources from the Spanish Ministry confirmed to the Russian agency Sputnik that the ship's stopover in Ceuta was denied because it
did not have the documentation required to dock.
But the Russian embassy in Spain insists that it gave the Spanish Foreign Ministry the necessary information for the arrival of its warships in Ceuta.
From Moscow, the Foreign Ministry spokesperson said that "it is also surprising that Spanish officials leaked this story to the media, it seems that they want to demonstrate their alignment with the Russophobic wing of NATO in preparation for the summit of States. members of the alliance, which will be held in Madrid in 2022.
The practice of calls by Russian warships in this Spanish port in Africa was
very common between 2010 and 2016,
when there were about 60 visits with more than 10,000 crew members.
The berths injected into the port economy around 4.5 million euros in total, according to the Russian channel RT.
NATO pressures
This is not the first encounter. A
similar case occurred in 2016
when Spain - after pressure from the United States, the United Kingdom and other NATO nations - finally decided that Russian ships should not dock in Ceuta.
Angry statements are now being made from Russia. "It is possible that now they inflate this news in Spain and in Western countries in general, to make believe that NATO still has influence despite its failure in Afghanistan. It is not the first time that they try to show that the Russian Navy will have it complicated without the stops in Ceuta, but it is not like that, "said the president of the Fleet Support Movement,
Mikhail Nenashev.
Sailors, he adds, will be able to rest
in the Syrian port of Tartus.
Furthermore, Egypt and Algeria normally accept the arrival of Russian ships.
"Spain did not pass the test", adds Nenashev.
Spain is part of NATO, but this military alliance does not protect Ceuta and Melilla in its article V of collective defense.
But some analysts do believe that they are protected implicitly in Article IV, which allows consultations among members if there are territories excluded by the treaty that may be threatened in terms of territorial integrity, political independence or security.
NATO pressure is based on this basis for Ceuta to stay out of
logistical support
for Russian military ships.
The government of
Mariano Rajoy
In 2016, it put a stop to these stops, which were frowned upon by the alliance partners (although there have been several sporadically since then). In the previous controversy in 2016 it was said that Russian ships passing through the Spanish city would later take part in the Syrian war in support of President Bashar Asad. In that conflict, partners like the United States have been supporting the opposing side.
Izquierda Unida de Ceuta has announced that it has transferred to its training at the national level "the need to
normalize the shipments of Russian ships again
in our city, "according to a statement sent to the local media. The formation has denounced the" Russophobia "after these vetoes of Russian ships." We do not understand that a NATO rule is imposed on us despite the fact that Ceuta is not in that umbrella ", has criticized the formation.
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