Melilla President Blames Morocco for Border Closure, Straining Relations

"Let’s hope the relationship gets back on track, but we have to say very clearly that Morocco has broken the game, not Spain. We did not close the border, we paid the price of everything Morocco has done," said Eduardo de Castro on Monday in an interview on RTVE, addressing the state of relations between the two countries and how they are affecting Melilla.

De Castro called for reciprocity in the Morocco-Spain relations that he wishes to be better. "We have to get along, we have to be a good neighbor, but a good neighbor is not the one who suffocates you, but the one who treats you as a good neighbor," said the President of Melilla, thanking the central government for managing to normalize with Morocco after the latter’s decision to close the commercial customs in August 2018 and the land borders in March 2020.

The President of Melilla is aware that "the resolution of diplomatic problems often takes time, but we must proceed with moderation and caution" so that relations between the two countries are fully normalized. In this sense, he welcomed the involvement and "good will" of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, whom he invited to "accelerate" the gradual reopening of customs.