Spanish Opposition Urges High-Level Talks with Morocco Amid Growing Bilateral Tensions

"The less we say, the more major problems accumulate; our bilateral relations are becoming complex," said the Parliamentary Group of the Popular Party in a statement, which has addressed several questions to the government.

The first concerns the closure by Morocco, since July 2018, of the customs in Melilla through which contraband products transit. A situation that has worsened with the closure of borders in March 2020 for health reasons. "Will you continue to silently accept the closure of borders with all the damage it entails?" asks the PP.

The parliamentary group also questioned the Spanish government on the role it intends to play in resolving the conflict in the Sahara and urged it to address the issue with the new President of the United States. "President Sánchez has not yet spoken with President Biden who, since his election, has already spoken with 23 foreign leaders. Has Spain lost influence on the international scene?" the parliamentarians want to know.

For his part, PP deputy Gutiérrez Díaz de Otazu deplored the silence and passivity of the Spanish authorities in the face of the situation in the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla. "Over the past three years, Melilla has experienced increasing difficulties in maintaining its economic, social and commercial model due to unilateral decisions taken by Morocco," he said, stressing that the PP will continue to question the government on the issue.