Spain Opens "Unlimited Dialogue" with Morocco on Sahara, Ceuta and Melilla

Spain is willing to offer Morocco "an unlimited dialogue" on sensitive issues such as the Sahara, Ceuta and Melilla. With its new Minister of Foreign Affairs, the country is in a new dynamic of redefining the bases of cooperation with Morocco.

To read: Spain and Morocco Agree on Return of 800 Unaccompanied Minors from Ceuta

It is in this context that the two countries have agreed for the first time on the return to Morocco of unaccompanied minors who entered Ceuta en masse in May. The operation, launched by the Spanish Ministry of the Interior, is currently suspended by the courts after several human rights associations denounced its illegal nature.

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

The proof that the resumption of relations is on the right track was the speech given by King Mohammed VI on Friday. On this occasion, the monarch expressed "the desire to continue to work with the Spanish government and its president, Pedro Sánchez, in order to start a new era in the relations between our two countries". This statement by King Mohammed VI is undoubtedly the result of the discreet negotiations conducted by Albares to open the "dialogue without limits or taboos on Ceuta, Melilla and Western Sahara", notes El Espanol.

To read: Spain’s Foreign Minister Calls for Patience in Rebuilding Morocco Relations

This new stage of dialogue will lead to a new cooperation and friendship agreement for the next decade. In addition to the issues related to the Sahara and the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla as well as the return of minors, the discreet negotiations have also covered other vital subjects such as anti-terrorist cooperation, trade issues or relations with the European Union, etc.

Concretely, and in the short term, it will be for Rabat to return its ambassador Karima Benyaich to her post in Madrid. Then, to prepare an official visit by Minister Albares to Morocco to meet his Moroccan counterpart, Nasser Bourita, to finalize the implementation of the new cooperation agreements. Then, if everything goes as planned, the high-level meeting, postponed sine die by Morocco, should be able to take place.

Furthermore, the strengthening of relations between Felipe VI and Mohammed VI could also contribute to a rapid resumption of cooperation. On the occasion of the twenty-second anniversary of the accession to the throne of the Moroccan monarch, his Spanish counterpart underlined the "deep friendship" that unites them.