Bourita attends European Union Ministerial Meeting to strengthen partnership with Morocco
Nasser Bourita, Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans Abroad, travelled to Brussels for the 5th European Union Ministerial Meeting with the Southern Neighbourhood, with the aim of reaching new agreements to facilitate cooperation and collaboration between the European bloc and Morocco on the Mediterranean Pact, which will be presented in a few months' time to mark the 30th anniversary of the Barcelona Declaration.
Accompanied by Morocco's Permanent Representative to the European Union, Nasser Bourita met with Dubravka Suica, European Commissioner for the Mediterranean, with whom he discussed the agreements that both the Union and Morocco must reach to improve a collaboration that has been growing in recent years. It should be noted that this is the first time that ministers from non-member countries have attended a European Union Ministerial Meeting.
‘This is a strong signal for the new adoption of the New Pact for the Mediterranean, including the Gulf countries, in a complex context,’ said Dubravka Suica, European Commissioner for the Mediterranean.
With the focus on the signing of the Mediterranean Pact, the Moroccan minister pointed out that the link between the European Union and Rabat will promote growth in the Mediterranean region and help it become a future global economic and geostrategic hub. In response to Bourita's proposals, the European Commissioner for the Mediterranean pointed out that cooperation with Morocco will be key and will fall within the framework of the European Union's neighbourhood policy.
In addition to talks on trade and economic sectors, Nasser Bourita met with the European Union's High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Kaja Kallas, with whom he agreed to establish further cooperation mechanisms for defence in North Africa and Europe, as well as issues of strategic partnership with the North African country. Finally, the Moroccan minister met with his counterparts from Jordan, Egypt and Jordan.
Morocco-Spain relations
On the sidelines of the 5th Ministerial Meeting of the European Union, the Foreign Ministers of Spain, José Manuel Albares, and Morocco, Nasser Bourita, discussed the progress of Operation Crossing the Strait, which today begins its operations to return millions of Moroccans, and the negotiations on customs in Ceuta and Melilla.
The main topic of the meeting was finding a solution to the illegal flow of goods that is compatible with the Operation. In this regard, the Spanish minister highlighted Morocco's cooperation and actions and acknowledged that the borders between Ceuta and Melilla and the North African country ‘have not been closed’.
‘We have dealt with the situation at the borders of Ceuta and Melilla as best we could, with the fact that goods can continue to pass through normally while the Operation Crossing the Strait remains active,’ said Albares, Spain's Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Albares reiterated that the borders have not been closed at any time, but explained that they have suffered partial stoppages due to the volume of goods being moved. Finally, he clarified that Spain's customs efforts are focusing on the passage of people.