Spain evacuates embassy staff, residents from Syria

By Alyssa McMurtry

OVIEDO, Spain (AA) - Spain has successfully evacuated 26 individuals, including embassy staff and residents, from Syria, the country’s foreign minister said on Monday.

In an interview with Spanish broadcaster RNE, Jose Manuel Albares explained that the convoy left Damascus early Monday morning and crossed the border into Lebanon.

He noted that consular services will remain operational and that Spain is working on another evacuation for others who did not want to leave today or were unable to as soon as the Damascus airport reopens.

“It’s good news for the Syrian people that a dictatorship is over, but let’s watch the new government’s first steps,” said Albares. “So far, everything is progressing in an orderly manner.”

Albares said Spain will judge the new regime based on its actions.

He expressed hope that the military movement will soon transition into a peaceful political process, saying “13 years of civil war are more than enough.”

He also stressed the importance of the new government guaranteeing Syria’s territorial integrity. “Having certain regions of the country controlled by different groups would only add to the instability,” he said.

Albares called on the new government to include minority groups in shaping the country’s future as a pluralistic nation.

He also said that the rapid changes in Syria should not cause the international community to forget about the situation in Gaza or the “fragile truce” in Lebanon.

“Once and for all, we need to achieve a cease-fire in Gaza, if not, it will not be possible to achieve stability in Syria,” said Albares.

He added that a country such as Israel should not emerge victorious from the defeat of the Bashar al-Assad regime, which had been allied with Iran.

“The Syrian people, who have suffered enough, are the ones who need to win… They have already faced too many challenges due to excessive foreign influence,” Albares said.