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AFP, ANKARA
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A wave of affection for Spain has swept Turkey the past few weeks over Madrid’s firm stance against the war in the Middle East, with soccer fans roaring their support and social media awash with pro-Spanish sentiment.
Countless images of Turkish and Spanish flags flying side-by-side have emerged alongside memes of a budding romance between a bull representing Spain and a wolf for Turkey, as well as footage of Eskisehirspor fans chanting Spanish tunes and shouting: “Ole” as they perform a Mexican wave.
It began when Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez defiantly refused to let US troops use its bases to attack Iran at the start of the conflict, repeatedly posting “No to the war” in a move that won hearts and minds in Turkey.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez speaks at a news conference in Madrid on Dec. 15 last year.
Photo: AFP
Already popular in Turkey over his fierce criticism of the Gaza war which mirrored Ankara’s stance, the Socialist leader’s refusal to bow to US pressure has angered US President Donald Trump, but won him legions of fans in Turkey.
“Greetings to the Turkish Twitter community,” Sanchez on March 7 wrote in a post on X alongside footage showing a large Turkish flag being waved at a party gathering alongside a huge banner reading: “No to the war.”
The conflict began on Feb. 28 when Israeli and US warplanes began bombing Iran, in a move sharply denounced as “illegal” by Turkey, which has also criticized Iran’s indiscriminate retaliation.
Spain’s aura was further burnished after its troops in charge of a Patriot missile battery on Turkish soil spotted a Turkey-bound ballistic missile launched from Iran which was intercepted by NATO.
The troops, who are based at the Incirlik Air Base, a key NATO facility in southern Turkey, had “detected and reported the missile attack,” Spanish Minister of Defense Margarita Robles told Cadena Ser radio on March 5, although they were not the ones who shot it down.
