Pedro Sánchez afianza la condición de Marruecos como “amigo” y “aliado fundamental”
Following statements by the Second Vice-President, Minister of Labour and leader of the new political formation SUMAR, Yolanda Díaz, in which she claimed that the political regime of the North African nation is a dictatorship, Pedro Sánchez has appeared in Congress to defend relations between Morocco and Spain. In his appearance, Pedro Sánchez, as part of a presentation on the issues discussed at the High Level Meeting (HLM) on 1 and 2 February, said: "Morocco is a friendly country, a fundamental ally for Spain's economic development. It is our gateway to Africa. It is an essential ally for our security and for orderly migration in Spain and in Europe".
Although relations with Morocco have always been a pillar of Spanish foreign policy, since Sánchez came to power they have reached their peak. Joint policies on economic, trade, sports, agriculture, energy, immigration and the prospect of autonomy for Western Sahara are examples of the progress that Madrid and Rabat have made in recent years. "More than ever in the history of our democracy, we have a great opportunity to place relations between Spain and Morocco under the sign of genuine and mutually beneficial cooperation," Sánchez told the MPs. "A relationship based on mutual respect, on the absence of unilateral actions," he added.
In this context, he explained that in the aforementioned HLM talks, 20 agreements were reached, mainly establishing cooperation in two directions: common borders and economic and trade cooperation. Faced with the tensions generated by the parliamentary opposition in relation to cooperation between the Spanish and Moroccan administrations, Pedro Sánchez insisted that the current situation is beneficial for both kingdoms.
"If anyone wants to apply an alternative policy, they should explain to the Spanish people whether this would be coherent with a programme of deepening strategic relations that mainly affects Ceuta, Melilla, the Canary Islands and Andalusia", he responded.
In his speech, the head of the Spanish Executive also recalled that Spain and Morocco agreed on a "road map with specific objectives" in April last year, and that since then the work carried out over the last year has resulted in a very positive balance, since it has opened a new stage with much firmer foundations that have removed the existence of the "recurrent crises of the past". At the same time, he pointed to the resumption of negotiations on the establishment of maritime space limits, the continuation of actions across the Strait and the reopening of borders, such as the return of the Operation Crossing the Strait project and the opening of talks to reinstate the connection lines between Tarfaya and Fuerteventura.
"On 27 January, the Melilla commercial customs office was reopened after five years of closure," Sánchez said. The President of the Government similarly stated that Ceuta's commercial customs would open after tests at the end of January and said that an orderly and gradual opening would "avoid scenes that nobody wants to see" and would create good neighbourliness between the two countries. He also pointed to the changes in migration figures by the HLM, presenting the data of immigrants who arrived irregularly in Ceuta in the first quarter of 2023 and saying that "the only one that is decreasing in Europe is the Atlantic route" going from 78% to 63% in the Canary Islands, comparing it to the migratory boom suffered in Greece with an increase of 95% or Italy, where it increased by 300%. As for trade cooperation, he explained that by 2022 exports by Spanish companies will reach 12,000 million euros, with the main beneficiaries being Spanish companies that collaborate with development plans in Morocco.