Spain’s Popular Party Urges Swift Restoration of Ties with Morocco Amid Migration Concerns

The deputy is asking the government to quickly resume cooperation with Morocco, in the face of the migrant assaults recorded last week at the borders of Melilla. More than 200 migrants of sub-Saharan origin entered the autonomous city on Thursday and 150 others were pushed back on Friday by the Moroccan security forces as they tried to cross the fence.

To read: Spain’s Opposition Leader Urges Sanchez to Repair Morocco Relations After Foreign Minister’s Exit

According to Martinez, the new Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, has made "no effort to try to restore" relations with Rabat in the two weeks since he took over the Department. Yet, when he took office, he declared that Morocco is a "friendly" country and that the restoration of relations will be one of his priorities. "We hoped he would get to work in the first week. But no," lamented the PP deputy, accusing Albares of wanting to "go on vacation" in August while this burning issue is still unresolved.

To read: Spanish Opposition Urges Swift Restoration of Morocco-Spain Relations

The deputy had proposed to the Foreign Affairs Committee of Congress to convene an extraordinary session so that the new minister Albares could explain how he intends to concretely restore relations with Morocco. According to her, relations with Rabat "have deteriorated long before" the reception of Brahim Ghali, the leader of the Polisario Front, in Spain, recalling that it all started with the "indefinite" suspension by Morocco of the high-level meeting.