Spanish Foreign Minister Rebuffs Criticism of Morocco Policy Amid Coalition Tensions

In an interview with Jordi Évole on La Sexta, Yolanda Diaz declared that Morocco is a dictatorship and that she would return to the decision to recognize the Moroccan autonomy plan for the Sahara if she became President of the government. "These are personal opinions. There may be opinions from other political groups, but what is clear is the way the Spanish government approaches its relations with its neighbor," reacted on Monday from Strasbourg, Minister José Manuel Albares, reiterating that Spain maintains a relationship of "collaboration and cooperation" with Morocco.

The head of Spanish diplomacy recalled that the relationship with Rabat is based on "mutual respect" and "responsibility", adding that the government continues to be in this logic. Albares blames the Popular Party (PP) for being "misinformed" and using any international issue to attack the Spanish government. "I think the Popular Party is always wrong and has made a mistake again. There are times when you have to be the opposition, but there are times when you have to be Spain," he said.

And he added: "You can’t fight against Morocco when you have a land border that you have to manage and so many common challenges. And you can’t fight with Europe and with the EU presidency when we are precisely a few weeks away from the start of Spain’s EU presidency." For Albares, the PP is "well informed" about the agenda of the Spanish EU presidency, regretting the boycott of this meeting with Spanish MEPs by representatives of the opposition party. "The Popular Party is deliberately seeking to be misinformed," he concluded.