Spain Shifts Stance on Western Sahara, Aligning Closer with Morocco

The Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Arancha González Laya, indicated on Sunday that Spain is ready to "consider any solution" proposed by Morocco on the Sahara, but within the framework of the United Nations, adding that she "fully understands that Morocco has a very great sensitivity on the subject".

This new position of Spain on the Sahara highlights the victory of Moroccan diplomacy and reveals the failure of Madrid in implementing its strategy aimed at weakening Morocco, explains Salman Bou Noôman, professor of international relations at the University of Sidi Mohamed ben Abdullah in Fez, in an interview with the Anadolu agency.

To read: Spain Signals Shift on Western Sahara, Aligns with UN-Led Negotiations

According to the Moroccan expert, Morocco’s proactive diplomacy has borne fruit, which has led Spain to review its position, which he describes as "very positive" in the sense that it could help ease tensions between the two countries.

The crisis between Morocco and Spain was opened after the reception in April of Brahim Ghali, the leader of the Polisario Front, at the hospital in Logroño, Spain, under a false identity. It then worsened with the massive arrival in May of thousands of migrants in the city of Ceuta.