Spanish King Plays Key Role in Mending Morocco-Spain Relations Over Western Sahara

King Felipe VI played an important role in the restoration of relations between Morocco and Spain, said Nabil Driouch, a specialist in Hispano-Moroccan relations, in an interview with El Periódico de España, hailing Sanchez’s political courage in making this decision on such a sensitive issue as the Sahara. He sees the "new stage" of relations between Morocco and Spain with "more cooperation and more dialogue". "There are many outstanding issues such as the High-Level Meeting (HLM), migration and anti-terrorism cooperation. Morocco is a key piece for the security of Europe and Africa," he explained.

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Morocco waited for Spain to change its position on the Sahara before normalizing relations with it because "territorial integrity is a vital issue for Morocco" and Spain is its "first commercial partner" and its "strategic ally," said the Moroccan writer and journalist, adding that from now on, relations between the two countries will be based on mutual respect and the guarantee of territorial integrity. "This means that Spain will not act unilaterally against Morocco’s territorial integrity, in connection with the Sahara. The reception of the Polisario Front leader, Brahim Ghali, was a unilateral act against Morocco’s territorial integrity. Morocco will do the same with regard to Spain’s territorial integrity," analyzes the Moroccan journalist.

To read: Algeria Vows ’Energetic’ Response to Spain’s Shift on Western Sahara

For Nabil Driouch, Algeria has no problem with Spain, but rather with Morocco. This is why it recalled its ambassador to Madrid, after Spain’s change of position on the Sahara. "Any solution to the Sahara conflict ’must be accepted, first and foremost, by Algeria. The United States, France, Germany and now Spain see that this conflict has lasted too long and is endangering the stability of the entire Maghreb region," he details, stressing that this decision by Spain on the Sahara is "one of the most difficult that the Pedro Sanchez government has had to make".