French Consul’s Remarks on Ceuta Spark Tension with Morocco

The consul’s statements are reported by the author of an op-ed on Moroccan-Spanish relations and the future of the two cities of Ceuta and Melilla. "France must come to the aid of the autonomous government of Ceuta which is the gateway to Africa for France... which gives this city an essential strategic dimension for Paris," the consul said during his exchanges with the city president, Juan Jesús Vivas.

This statement is already causing a stir. In the eyes of some former Moroccan diplomats, this statement is nothing less than "a provocation", reports Maghreb Intelligence. This interference by the consul in the relations between Morocco and Spain could provoke a diplomatic rift between France and the kingdom.

In March, the Moroccan authorities had closed their land borders with the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla, in order to curb the spread of Covid-19 and put an end to the smuggling of goods.