Qué es el Iftar al que Mohamed VI ha invitado a Pedro Sánchez
At the press conference following the Council of Ministers on Tuesday 5 April, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, announced that Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez would break the fast with the King of Morocco, Mohamed VI, on the day of his official visit to Rabat.
Minister Albares highlighted the importance of Iftar for Muslims during the month of Ramadan in his speech to the media. "Inviting the president to the Ramadan Iftar is a sign of very strong friendship on the part of the King of Morocco towards Spain," the minister said on Tuesday.
Specifically, Iftar is a daily "ceremony" in the month of Ramadan. In Dariya, Moroccan dialectal Arabic, it is also called 'Ftour'. According to Nourdine Mouati, an expert in Spanish-Moroccan cooperation, "It acquires a lofty meaning when it is done in the company of family or friends".
Mouati explains that Iftar, or Ftour, is not limited to breaking the fast with water and dates before dinner, but that the evening prayer, the 'Salat al Maghrib', is also performed. This ceremony is followed by dinner, which traditionally consists of Moroccan savoury and sweet dishes. Sweet or savoury Briouats. Chebakkias, known as pestiños in Spain. And not to be missed is the traditional Moroccan soup: harira.
On Thursday night, the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, is expected to take part in this ceremony along with the core of the Moroccan royal family. In addition to the monarch, Mohammed VI, the heir to the throne, Muley Hassan, and the king's brother, Muley Rachid, are expected to be present. According to Nourdine Mouati, it is very likely that some members of the Moroccan government will also take part in the Iftar dinner.
As Minister Albares pointed out at his press conference, inviting a dignitary to an Iftar is a very important gesture and a sincere hand extended to initiate a period of honest collaboration. The last president who had the good fortune to participate in such a ceremony was Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, in 2019, when he visited Rabat to recognise the Moroccan ownership of Western Sahara and to negotiate the Abraham Accords. A historic event.
In the case of Spain, one has to go back to 2013 when King Juan Carlos I was invited to the Iftar, in what was the first time Mohammed VI as king met a foreign head of state.
"The people with whom King Mohammed VI has celebrated Iftar are very close to him. Moreover, in this context of covid, the king has very much limited his public agenda," adds Nourdine Mouati. This would attest to King Mohammed VI's good intentions to make way for a prosperous cooperation with Spain.
"The invitation extended by HM King Mohammed VI to President Sanchez to share Iftar is a gesture that shows HM's great appreciation for the Prime Minister. Even more so now that the Spanish government has ratified its support for the autonomy plan for the Moroccan Sahara," says Mouati.
The expert in Spanish-Moroccan cooperation explains that the ceremony will be held in accordance with the protocol of the Moroccan Royal House, according to which Moroccan guests will be dressed in traditional dress. Before the Iftar, Mohammed VI is due to hold a working meeting with his cabinets.
The intention to return to good cooperation between kingdoms was reflected today in the Spanish Official State Gazette, which opened with the collaboration agreement on the fight against crime between Spain and Morocco.
