Bourita receives Spain's new ambassador to Morocco
The Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nasser Bourita, received today in Rabat the new Spanish Ambassador to the North African Kingdom, Enrique Ojeda Vila, who handed over the copies of his credentials in his capacity as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Spain to HM King Mohammed VI.
The Spanish Government officially appointed on 23 January 2024 the diplomat and current Director of Casa América in Madrid, Enrique Ojeda Vila, as Spain's new Ambassador to Morocco.
Ojeda, as Rue20 exclusively reported, replaces the diplomat Ricardo Díez-Hochleitner, who had been in Rabat for eight and a half years. Although Díez-Hochleitner turned 70 last June, the retirement age for diplomats, Madrid decided to keep him in his post due to the general elections in Spain last July, according to EFE.
The new ambassador, born in Seville in 1968, holds a law degree from the University of Seville and entered the diplomatic service in 1994. Throughout his career, Ojeda has been ambassador to El Salvador, Bolivia and Chile and has been posted to the Spanish diplomatic representations in Bolivia, Guatemala and the United States.
In addition to his work as Spanish ambassador and diplomat abroad, for five years he directed the Three Cultures Foundation, an organisation that aims to promote dialogue between Mediterranean countries.
Ojeda has also been secretary general of External Action of the Andalusian Regional Government and later director general of Autonomous Cooperation in the Spanish Ministry of Territorial Policy.
M. Nasser Bourita a reçu, aujourd'hui à Rabat, S.E.M. Enrique Ojeda Vila, venu lui présenter les copies figurées de ses lettres de créance en sa qualité d'Ambassadeur Extraordinaire et Plénipotentiaire du Royaume d’Espagne auprès de SM le Roi Mohammed VI. pic.twitter.com/RSS5daPBkL
— Maroc Diplomatie 🇲🇦 (@MarocDiplomatie) February 9, 2024
Since July 2021 he was director of Casa América, a centre under the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs that promotes relations between the Iberian country and the American continent.
Enrique Ojeda Vila is a diplomat who knows the Maghreb and the Mediterranean very well, as well as Spain's geopolitics abroad, especially with the United States.
Likewise, as Rue20 points out, with the appointment of Enrique Ojeda Vila, Spain is sending a message of goodwill to Rabat following the inauguration of a new phase based on mutual respect.
🇪🇸🇲🇦 Enrique Ojeda Vila devrait être le nouvel ambassadeur d’Espagne au Maroc, a annoncé, ce dimanche, le média espagnol “El País”, taisant les rumeurs initialement publiées par le média spécialisé “The Diplomat In Spain”.
— TelQuel (@TelQuelOfficiel) January 15, 2024
🔗 https://t.co/ZN6wT7uPft pic.twitter.com/w1zFawYkXL
This new phase is based on Spain's support for the Moroccan Sahara in the famous letter sent by the Spanish President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, to King Mohammed VI in March 2022, as well as the subsequent holding of the High Level Meeting in Rabat in February 2023.
The appointment of the new Spanish ambassador comes at a time when the two kingdoms are boosting their ties in all areas. In addition, it is worth highlighting the joint organisation of the 2030 World Cup, a sporting event that will mark a before and after in bilateral relations.
