Spain Praises Morocco’s Role in Halting 1,000 Migrants at Ceuta and Melilla Borders

"I would like to commend Morocco’s role in managing migration flows. During the Christmas period, an attempt at irregular immigration of more than 1,000 people was thwarted at the borders of Ceuta and Melilla. Without Morocco’s collaboration, this action would not have been possible and this is what makes it a strategic partner for Spain and also for Europe...", said Minister Albares in an interview with El Diario.

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The head of Spanish diplomacy believes that "the relationship between Spain and Morocco is a rich and complex relationship in the best sense of the word, with a network of interests and different aspects that we must advance", recalling that King Mohammed VI, in his speech of August 21, had expressed his willingness to open a new era of relations with Spain.

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José Manuel Albares also hopes for a rapid resumption of relations with Morocco. In this sense, he wishes for the return to his post of the Moroccan ambassador to Madrid, recalled to Rabat since August for consultations. "The Moroccan embassy in Spain is open and is led by a chargé d’affaires with whom we have very fluid relations, as is the case with our ambassador in Rabat with the Moroccan authorities. But I wish the ambassador would return," he stressed.

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"To continue to move forward, we must establish new bases of cooperation, beneficial for both parties. We must avoid any unilateral action that could destabilize the trust of each other, and I am sure that, sooner or later, we will take measures to consolidate this relationship. Diplomacy needs time and sometimes also patience, but it always bears fruit," concluded the Spanish minister.

The crisis between Algeria and Morocco and the subsequent closure of the Maghreb-Europe gas pipeline which is affecting Spain, as well as the Sahara issue for which a "mutually acceptable political solution for the parties" is expected, are among the topics addressed by Minister Albares in this interview.