Spanish Foreign Minister Affirms Ceuta and Melilla’s Status Ahead of Morocco Summit

"No country has to certify the Spanishness of Ceuta and Melilla or that of Valladolid, Barcelona or Santiago de Compostela. In case anyone has doubts, Ceuta and Melilla are Spanish, period," Albares said, responding to the question of whether the issue will be addressed at this Spanish-Moroccan summit.

The High-Level Meeting is a "moment to strengthen the foundations" for a much stronger bilateral relationship, explained the Spanish minister during his participation in the colloquium held on Monday at the Club Siglo XXI. Albares recalled that Morocco is a neighboring country of Spain with which it shares "a land border and a very long maritime border".

The new relationship between the two countries began after Pedro Sánchez’s visit to Rabat on April 7, where he met Mohammed VI. The two personalities signed a joint declaration that defines the new roadmap for their relations, which allowed the holding of the Marhaba Operation that generated 1.3 billion euros in profits for Spanish ports.

Twelve Spanish ministers will participate in the Spanish-Moroccan summit alongside Pedro Sanchez. They are expected to sign more than twenty agreements with their Moroccan counterparts in the fields of energy, economy, culture, education, health and migration cooperation, among others.