Morocco’s Ambassador Set to Return to Spain, Signaling Diplomatic Thaw

According to diplomatic sources, Karima Benyaich, Morocco’s ambassador to Spain, is expected to return to Madrid in the coming days, reports El País. The Spanish daily believes that the return of the Moroccan diplomat "will put an end to the diplomatic crisis between Morocco and Spain that was triggered after the reception of the Polisario leader, Brahim Ghali, in a Spanish hospital under a false identity last April. One of her first missions will be to prepare the next high-level meeting between the two countries, scheduled for last December but postponed several times.

The announcement of this return, the date of which has not yet been specified, follows Morocco’s wish to inaugurate a "new stage" in relations with Spain, based on "trust, transparency, mutual consideration and respect for commitments". A wish that the Spanish press has also welcomed. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has as well. "I believe that every crisis brings an opportunity. And I believe that the speech of His Majesty the King constitutes a great opportunity to redefine the relations between the two countries and the pillars on which they rest," he stressed during a press conference.