Spanish PM Sanchez to Make Two-Day Official Visit to Morocco

Pedro Sanchez will be in Rabat on Thursday and Friday, Spanish government sources told The Objective, stressing that King Mohammed VI has not yet confirmed these dates and that the agenda of the visit has not been definitively set.

À lire : Spanish PM Sanchez to Visit Morocco, Signaling New Era in Bilateral Relations

The same sources recall that in June 2018, during Sanchez’s first visit to Rabat, the Moroccan authorities only confirmed the time of the meeting with the Moroccan monarch a few hours after his arrival in the kingdom. This had disrupted the entire program of the Spanish delegation. To avoid such setbacks this time, a series of "soft" meetings have been agreed with various groups to allow for some flexibility in the program, in case Morocco decides to bring forward or postpone the meeting with Mohammed VI.

À lire : Spanish Leaders to Visit Morocco Following Diplomatic Thaw over Western Sahara

According to sources close to the Moncloa and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sanchez and José Manuel Albares will have the same program. No parallel meeting is planned. But for the moment, it is the blackout from the Spanish Executive, which has not yet officially confirmed this trip, waiting for the green light from Morocco.

Last Thursday, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, had to cancel at the last minute his trip to Morocco to prepare Sanchez’s visit, after the latter had a telephone exchange with Mohammed VI who rather preferred a state visit in the "coming days". This visit by Sanchez to Rabat, the second since his accession to this position, follows the "historic" change of Spain on the Sahara, which now supports the autonomy plan proposed by Morocco.