Spain Affirms Sovereignty Over Ceuta and Melilla Amid Moroccan Claims

The Spanish Foreign Minister reassured the Congress about the belonging of Ceuta and Melilla to Spain, in her response to the question of the Vox deputy, Teresa López, on the threats of Morocco to recover the two Spanish enclaves that it considers as "occupied Moroccan cities".

"The sovereignty of Ceuta and Melilla is not threatened, it has not been and will not be," Laya stressed, insisting on the need to adopt a common position on the issue. "There is no doubt that these two cities are Spanish and constitute the external border of the EU; and since there is no doubt, we are going to stop sowing fear and disunity," the minister urged.

To read: Spain Dismisses Concerns Over Moroccan Claims to Ceuta and Melilla

The Vox deputy also demanded that the government conduct a "discreet and effective" diplomacy to find a solution to the crisis that opened with Morocco after the mass influx of migrants to Ceuta on May 17 and 18 and the reception of the leader of the Polisario Front in a hospital in Logroño.

The massive influx of migrants a month ago is "a threat from Morocco to annex the two autonomous cities," added the MP, who deplores the fact that the authorities have taken no action to defend the inhabitants of Ceuta and Melilla. "Change your foreign policy by setting limits to neighborhood relations and no longer tolerate a single attack," she concluded.