Spain and Morocco showcase their close cooperation in Madrid
The Moncloa Palace in Madrid hosted the main event of the 13th High-Level Meeting (HLM) between Spain and Morocco, with government delegations led by the heads of government, Pedro Sánchez and Aziz Akhannouch.
Spanish President of the Government Pedro Sánchez welcomed the Moroccan government delegation led by Aziz Akhannouch for a meeting focused on strengthening mutual diplomatic relations, which are currently excellent, and to promote important strategic agreements in various areas such as agriculture, fisheries, trade, migration, taxation, digitalisation, the fight against extremism and terrorism, cooperation in diplomatic schools and sports.
These were the main points to be discussed in order to seal economic and trade agreements that are very important and beneficial to both parties. However, issues that have generated controversy in the media, such as maritime boundaries with regard to each nation's exclusive zones and the airspace of Western Sahara, were excluded from the talks. These controversies may have more to do with various reports in the media than with alleged clashes between the two countries.
The importance of Western Sahara
Western Sahara was once again a very important issue at this summit in Madrid. The Spanish government continues to clearly support Morocco's autonomy plan, which proposes broad self-government for the Sahrawi territory under Moroccan sovereignty, leaving international and defence policy in the hands of the Moroccan state and respecting the resolutions of the United Nations (UN).
This HLM comes just after the UN Security Council endorsed Morocco's autonomy plan for Western Sahara, with all members voting in favour except for the abstention of Russia and China as permanent members, as the most solid basis for negotiation between the parties involved: Morocco, which considers the Sahrawi territory to be part of its southern provinces, and the Polisario Front, an independence movement that promotes the holding of a referendum on independence for the Sahrawi population and is mainly supported by Algeria.
Morocco presented its autonomy plan to the UN in 2007 and has garnered the support of more than 100 countries for its autonomy proposal, including powers such as the United States, France, the United Arab Emirates, Germany and the United Kingdom, which consider it the most serious, credible and realistic initiative to resolve the Sahrawi dispute. In contrast, the pro-independence position promoted by the Polisario Front and the self-proclaimed Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) has considerably less international backing, with the exception of Algeria, Morocco's great regional political rival.
On this issue, up to six ministers from the Spanish government participated in the 13th HLM, with the absence of ministers from the Sumar coalition party, who oppose the Spanish Executive's drift in favour of Morocco's position on Western Sahara.
The Spanish Executive highlighted at this 13th HLM that current diplomatic relations with Morocco are at their best in history. This very good rapport is linked to the support given in March 2022 by Pedro Sánchez's government to Morocco's autonomy plan for Western Sahara.
Following this endorsement, King Mohammed VI invited Pedro Sánchez to a meeting in Rabat in February 2023, where the roadmap for bilateral relations for the coming years was drawn up. There, it was agreed to hold the 12th HLM, which took place in Rabat in 2023, where dozens of important agreements were signed in various areas such as trade, migration, defence, technology, culture, etc., as well as a financial protocol worth €800 million to support the various initiatives agreed upon.
Relations have continued to progress very well in recent months, with intense and positive contacts at the level of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs. This culminated in the 13th HLM in Madrid, which served to seal dozens of agreements beneficial to both parties in the areas of agriculture, fisheries, trade, taxation, migration, digitalisation, the fight against extremism and terrorism, cooperation in diplomatic schools and sports.
In this context, it should also be noted that on 10 February there will be a summit similar to the one in Madrid in Rabat or Casablanca, with the inclusion of Portugal, to specifically address the issue of the organisation of the 2030 World Cup, which will be hosted by Morocco, Spain and Portugal. This is an issue that will lead to various important economic and trade agreements and will generate considerable wealth and prestige for the nations involved.
It should also be noted that there is a very good relationship between the Spanish Royal Court and the Moroccan Royal Court, with close ties between King Mohammed VI and King Felipe VI, which has also served to positively strengthen Spanish-Moroccan diplomatic relations.
Importance of trade
Trade was the focus of attention at this High-Level Meeting. It should be remembered that Morocco is a preferred trading partner for Spain, being its main partner in Africa and one of the most important worldwide, with a trade volume exceeding 22.7 billion euros. Spain is Morocco's leading trading partner, both within and outside the European Union (EU), and the main destination for its exports within the EU. Meanwhile, Morocco is Spain's leading trading partner in Africa and its seventh largest partner worldwide. According to updated data provided by the state-owned entity ICEX to Atalayar, Spanish exports to Morocco reached 12.859 billion euros last year, compared to 9.830 billion euros in Moroccan imports, making up the overall figure of more than 22.7 billion euros. This year is likely to close with similar figures, based on the balance sheet for September, with Spanish exports amounting to 9.147 billion euros.
Trade between the two nations is intense, with important sectors such as automotive, textiles, agri-food and energy playing a leading role. Spanish exports to the Kingdom of Morocco include machinery, vehicles, chemicals, food and textiles, while Spain imports products such as textiles, fish, fruit, vegetables and electrical equipment from Morocco.
Agreements signed at the 13th HLM
The signing of bilateral agreements at the Moncloa Palace was presided over by the heads of government, Pedro Sánchez and Aziz Akhannouch, and included important items on issues such as cooperation on migration and collaboration between diplomatic schools, with the participation of various Spanish and Moroccan ministers.
List of agreements signed:
Memorandum of Understanding on Feminist Foreign Policy, signed by José Manuel Albares, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Spain, and Nasser Bourita, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Morocco.
Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation between Diplomatic Schools, signed by Ministers José Manuel Albares and Nasser Bourita.
Memorandum of Understanding on the Exchange of Young Diplomats, signed by Ministers José Manuel Albares and Nasser Bourita
Declaration of Intent on Cooperation in the Exchange of Information, Technical Knowledge and Useful Practical Experience Related to the Digital Production of Legislative and Regulatory Texts and Their Electronic Dissemination between the Spanish state entity BOE and its Moroccan counterpart, signed by Ministers José Manuel Albares and Nasser Bourita.
Memorandum of Understanding on Documentary Heritage and Archival Digitisation, signed by Ministers José Manuel Albares and Nasser Bourita.
Memorandum of Understanding on Capacities for the Transmission and Reception of Cooperation Requests by Electronic Means, signed by José Manuel Albares, Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Abdellatif Ouahbi, Moroccan Minister of Justice.
Memorandum on Cooperation in the Field of Taxation, signed by José Manuel Albares, Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Nadia Fettah Alaoui, Moroccan Minister of Economy and Finance.
Declaration of Intent for Cooperation in the Fight against Hate Speech, signed by Elma Saiz, Spanish Minister of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, and Nasser Bourita, Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Memorandum of Understanding between the National Geographic Institute of Spain and the National Centre for Scientific and Technical Research of Morocco, signed by Óscar Puente, Spain's Minister of Transport, and Nasser Bourita, Morocco's Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Memorandum of Understanding for Cooperation in the Fields of Agriculture and Agri-Food, signed by Luis Planas, Spain's Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, and Ahmed El Bouari, Morocco's Minister of Agriculture.
Memorandum of Understanding for Cooperation in the Fields of Maritime Fisheries, Aquaculture Sector Development and the Fight against Illegal Fishing, signed by Luis Planas, Spain's Minister of Agriculture, and Zakia Driouch, Morocco's Secretary of State for Fisheries.
International Administrative Agreement on the Teaching of Arabic Language and Moroccan Culture in Spanish Educational Centres in the Kingdom of Morocco, signed by Pilar Alegría, Spanish Minister of Education and Sport, and Mohamed Saad Barrada, Moroccan Minister of National Education and Sport.
Memorandum of Understanding on Sports, signed by Ministers Pilar Alegría and Mohamed Saad Barrada.
Extension of the Memorandum of Understanding on Social Protection and Social Security, signed by Elma Saiz, Spain's Minister of Social Inclusion and Migration, and Amine Tahraoui, Morocco's Minister of Health and Social Protection.