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Spain: Madrid ‘fortress’ with deployment of more than 10,000 police officers for NATO summit

Madrid is expected to become a “fortress” during the forthcoming NATO summit in the Spanish capital later this month.

More than 10,000 police and other security forces will guarantee the security of the summit, Spanish media reported today, citing the Interior Ministry.

It will be “the largest security presence in recent history (of Spain),” state-run RTVE television said, adding that the city would be turned into a fortress.

Among other measures, Spain will introduce temporary border controls, as it did at the UN Climate Conference in 2019, to ensure the safety of the 5,000 participants in the summit.

About 40 delegations are expected to attend the meeting, which will total 2,000 guests, along with about 2,000 journalists from around the world and 1,000 assistants to the organizing committee.

An interior ministry spokesman was quoted as saying that so far the authorities had not identified any “particular threat that could be a cause for concern”.

In a reference to the goddess of the ancient Greeks, the operation is called Operation Peace.

The government will urge Madrid residents to work from home if possible and not to travel unnecessarily, RTVE reported.

Madrid Mayor Jose Luis Martinez Almeida called on the capital’s residents to be patient on the days of the June 29th and 30th summit.

Demonstrations are also expected and the city will be “completely excluded”.

The NATO summit is taking place against the background of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. According to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, a significant strengthening of the deterrent and defense capabilities of the Alliance forces will be decided in Madrid.

Source: AMPE

Source: Capital

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