Spanish-Moroccan Relations: Perspective, Prospects and Good News

As usual when important events take place in Spain, I intervened again in the French-language news on Moroccan television to comment on the events of the electoral process that had taken place in Spain, the investiture - reelection of President Pedro Sanchez and the perspective of the Spanish-Moroccan relations in this new legislature that is beginning to walk in Spain.

The truth is that it was difficult to summarize in five minutes everything that happened in Spain after July 23. I tried to focus a little on explaining how the PSOE, even though it had not won the elections, had managed to unite five regionalist parties (not to say pro-independence, Coalición Canaria is not...) in addition to its partners of the SUMAR amalgam to be invested for the third time as President of the Government of Spain.

The truth is that I did not want to expand much on the fashionable issue on the other side of the Strait of Gibraltar, the issue of Amnesty, although it is not a trivial issue in #Spain, in #Morocco, the majority, we have a maxim and it is not to interfere in the internal affairs of our neighbors to the North.

Surely many friends and acquaintances of the peninsula ignore or do not give so much importance to the fact that Morocco never gave support or welcomed Catalan and Basque pro-independence groups, something that did not happen in other countries in the area ... And the fact is that (message for amnesiacs and illusions that pretend to equate the historical ties between the two kingdoms to the relationship with an archaic military regime, closer to Putin's Russia than to the values of the European Union...), as I was saying, in that country in the area the nefarious Euskadi Ta Askatasuna or ETA was given shelter, financing and armed training... While Morocco never gave support to any Spanish secessionist movement.

Moreover, back in 2017, the year of the Catalan unilateral referendum, the former president of the Generalitat tried to officially visit Morocco and the Moroccan authorities were very clear: the visit must take place in an institutional framework sponsored by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Spain, there is no room for any presumed bilateralism with the Generalitat... and that the president tried by all means to win over, if I may say so, on several occasions the sympathy of the Moroccan government with extravagant offers...

Morocco has always been loyal to Spain regarding the separatist movements and Spain unfortunately has not...

After my summary focused on the electoral and investiture process in Spain, I had to address in the interview the heart of the matter of bilateral relations: whether there will be a change in the policy of the new Spanish government regarding Morocco.

My opinion was clear, there will be no significant changes but the Moroccan counterpart hopes that there will be more progress in the political positions and that certain outdated reasoning more typical of the radical branch of the Spanish government will be abandoned, I am obviously referring to the amalgam of SUMAR and its suicidal approaches?

Why will there be no significant changes?

For several reasons... The first one is that the Economy Rules! 

Trade exchanges between both economies are reaching extraordinary figures, with a trade balance tilted in favor of Spain, and more than ever, instead of competing, we are two complementary economies in several strategic sectors such as automotive, renewable energies and agriculture. Yes, there is more and more integration between companies in the agricultural sector on both shores.

All these advances of Spanish companies in the Moroccan market have not been casual and have been thanks to the political will of the high Moroccan authorities to make Spain the main economic and commercial partner of the Kingdom to the detriment of other countries?

Just today there has been a very pleasant news, which some of us already sensed, and that is that the #Casabalnca desalination plant project, the largest desalination project of the entire continent with an investment of 800 million euros, will be carried out and managed by an alliance of companies of which the Spanish multinational @acciona is part. A great achievement that will further strengthen the economic ties between leading companies of both countries.

Hopefully, Inshallah! Talgo and CAF will be able to position themselves in the mega contract launched a few days ago by the Moroccan National Office of Railways (ONCF).

Going back to my interview on Moroccan television, I did not want to end my argument on the relevance of relations between the two countries without suggesting a necessary change in the foreign policy of the new government towards its global strategic partner and that would help to dispel any doubts that may hinder or spoil the great opportunities offered by the strategic alliance between the two twinned nations: It is not acceptable that Spain continues to give shelter to an armed organization financed by a third country involved in the recent attacks in the provinces of southern Morocco, without detriment to the actions of NGOs that provide assistance to refugees in the camps of Tindouf, the Spanish government should limit the activities of the Polisario terrorists in Spanish territory, terrorists with their hands also stained with Spanish blood, more than 350 Spanish victims of which unfortunately few speak to the sorrow and pain of their families.

In the strategic relationship between Spain and Morocco, we must look to the future without the burdens of the past...