The Minister for Defence thanks her Malian counterpart for their welcome and hospitality to the Spanish contingent in Mali

The Minister for Defence, Margarita Robles, during the conversation by videoconference with her counterpart from Mali, Colonel Sadio Camara

The Minister for Defence, Margarita Robles, held a videoconference with her Malian counterpart, Colonel Sadio Camara, during which she expressed her gratitude for the welcome and constant hospitality of the Malian authorities to the successive Spanish contingents deployed in the country since 2013.

Robles conveyed to the Malian Defence Minister Spain's firm commitment, based on the desire to support the people of Mali and help the country regain the stability and strength it needs to fight the threat of terrorism.

For more than 10 years, Spain has maintained a strong commitment to security and development in the Sahel, especially through the participation of the Spanish Armed Forces in the European Union's training mission EUTM Mali.

The mission, whose force is currently led by Spanish General Santiago Fernández Ortiz-Repiso, currently has 161 troops from nine Member States (Austria, Belgium, Spain, Finland, Hungary, Lithuania, Portugal, Romania and Slovenia), of which Spain contributes 134 (more than 80%).

Spain also maintains the 'Marfil' air support detachment based in Dakar (Senegal), with some 60 troops, which provides tactical airlift to the Mali mission.

Non official translation