Spain’s New Foreign Minister Plans Morocco Visit to Mend Diplomatic Ties

From a well-informed source, the new head of Spanish diplomacy, José Manuel Albares, could make his first official visit to Morocco in the coming days, reports La Razon. This trip would follow his commitment, expressed on Monday during his inauguration speech, to "strengthen relations with Morocco, a great friend and neighbor to the South".

To read: Spain’s New Foreign Minister Prioritizes Strengthening Ties with Morocco

The government of Pedro Sanchez wants to restore cooperation with Morocco as soon as possible and the trip of its Minister of Foreign Affairs to Morocco to discuss with his counterpart should lay the foundations for this new start, pending the date of the official visit of Sanchez to Morocco, postponed several times.

To read: Spain Ousts Foreign Minister in Bid to Ease Tensions with Morocco

The appointment of Albares to replace Gonzales Laya is seen by the Moroccan press as an act of appeasement of tensions with Morocco. Tensions that had been simmering since December with Spain’s refusal to recognize Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara as the United States had done under Trump, before escalating in intensity with the arrival in April of Brahim Ghali in a hospital in Logroño.