Spain Reaffirms Sovereignty Over Ceuta, Melilla, and North African Territories

"When I talk about the adjacent islands and rocks, it means that there are several other territories in North Africa that have been Spanish for centuries. It is time for us, Spaniards, state and citizens, to be aware that these territories are part of our being as a country and, consequently, to be ready to defend them," Echeverria said in an interview with Ceuta Television.

These territories have not been "inventoried" since the Perejil Island crisis in 2002, raising questions and surprise. "Twenty years later, we are able to talk about these things without complexes without irritating our neighbors. After the closure of the borders, we have seen that Ceuta and Melilla have opportunities that go beyond our relations with Morocco," he explained, recalling that the Perejil (Leila) islet clearly appears on a map of Spain made by the Ministry of Public Works and Urban Planning in 1995.

In the current context marked by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, "these issues seem secondary, but they never have been," Echeverria argues. And he concludes: "We are in a period of confusion. There is a "strategic diversion". Today, we are talking about hybrid conflicts between Spain and Morocco, which is unfortunate but that’s how it is".