Spain Summons Moroccan Ambassador Over PM’s Ceuta and Melilla Comments

"The time will come to address the issue of Ceuta and Melilla, for which the status quo has lasted five or six centuries. Ceuta and Melilla is an issue that must be opened up," said the Moroccan Prime Minister in an interview with the Asharq News channel. This statement displeased the Spanish government, which demanded explanations.

State Secretary Cristina Gallach summoned the Moroccan ambassador, Karima Benyaich, specifying that Spain demands from all its partners respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of [its] country, according to a statement from the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

For her part, the head of Spanish foreign diplomacy, Arancha Gonzalez Laya, stressed that Spain’s position on the Sahara is a "state policy". These two cities, ruins of African territories, have been controlled since the 16th and 17th centuries, reports AFP. This controversy comes at a time when the statement by the Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs on the recognition of the Moroccan Sahara by the United States of America is eagerly awaited.