SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, Sep. 12 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Parliament of the Canary Islands hosted this Monday the inauguration of the exhibition ‘The Armed Forces with La Palma. Operation Cumbre Vieja’, which aims to be a recognition of the coordination work carried out by institutions, entities and society during the three months of volcanic eruption.
The event featured speeches by the President of the Canary Islands, Ángel Víctor Torres, the President of Parliament, Gustavo Matos, and the Chief Lieutenant General of the Canary Islands Command, Alejandro Escámez.
In addition, a broad representation of the Armed Forces, State security forces and bodies, different institutions and parliamentary groups attended, according to a note from Parliament.
In his speech, Torres said that after the end of the eruption on December 24, 2021 “a hard stage began, the reconstruction” and stressed that this exhibition recognizes the work of more than a thousand people who spent those three months working “with the sole purpose of preserving people’s lives.
The President of the Government also highlighted the “coordinated, serious, responsible and rigorous work of the Armed Forces, the bond between society and the Armed Forces is closer, we are proud of you”.
Gustavo Matos also remarked that the eruption “has served as an example of coordination between administrations and continues to do so” and indicated that there is still a long way to go, “but loyalty between institutions has been a great example.”
The president of the Chamber maintained that during the eruption and, later, in the reconstruction process, “The Canary Islands have been a single island, the entire archipelago has been turned upside down with La Palma.”
At this point, he stated that Canarian society “feels proud of the work of the Armed Forces, they are always in situations of urgency and drama, hence the spontaneous gratitude of the citizens, which shows their respect and affection”.
Matos considered “unquestionable” the enormous importance of the role played by the Armed Forces.
“We also saw it during the pandemic,” he said, recalling ‘Operation Balmis’, coordinated from the Canary Islands by Carlos Palacios and which was the largest military effort carried out in Spain in times of peace.
UNTIL SEPTEMBER 22
For his part, Alejandro Escámez explained that the exhibition describes the contribution of the Armed Forces, UME, Red Cross, Canarian Health Service and other organizations.
“We extend this gratitude to the President of the Parliament and the President of the Government, because with their presence here they once again endorse the recognition and affection of the citizens for the Armed Forces,” he said.
Escámez affirmed that the people of La Palma are “an example of solidarity, a human benchmark for Spain and the world” and highlighted the objective of this exhibition of “putting value on civil-military cooperation and team spirit”.
The exhibition, which can be visited in Parliament until September 22 in the morning and afternoon, is made up of a six-minute video, by way of presentation, which is projected on a loop, and 11 thematic totem poles, each one them highlighting a particular aspect of the operation.
As a complement and setting, during the tour the real sound of the volcano is heard in the background, which contributes to the psychological immersion effect of the visit.
