Spain May Play Key Role in Syria Support Group Due to Ties With Arab World

Spain’s role in the International Syria Support Group (ISSG) could be very important, bearing in mind the historic role of the country’s foreign policy in the Arab world, Member of the European Parliament Javier Couso told Sputnik on Friday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Earlier in the day, the Spanish Foreign Ministry announced that Spain would be joining ISSG after an invitation from Russian top diplomat Sergei Lavrov, noting the efforts Madrid put into Syrian peace process.

"The role of Spain can be very important, especially because of the Spanish foreign policy’s historic role in the Arab world," Couso, member of the Izquierda Unida political movement, said.

Spain’s membership in the ISSG is "extremely good news," especially because of its "traditional relationship with the Maghreb and the Middle East," where "it always played a major and important role."

The ISSG was formed in November 2015 shortly after the beginning of the Syria peace talks in Vienna as an international format aiming to resolve the internal crisis in Syria. The format currently involves Russia, the Arab League countries, the European Union and some of its member states, as well as China, Iran, Turkey, the United Nations and the United States.