Morocco, Spain Commend Bilateral Relations, Full Implementation of Roadmap
Morocco hailed its bilateral relations with Spain and welcomed the full implementation of the Road Map between the two countries.
Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates, Nasser Bourita, said that bilateral relations with Spain have been solid and strong recently.
During a meeting with his counterpart José Manuel Albares, on the sidelines of the 7th Regional Forum of the Union for the Mediterranean in Barcelona, Bourita expressed his satisfaction with the full implementation of all the provisions of the roadmap signed last April between King Mohammed VI and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.
He revealed that Morocco will host the next meeting between the heads of government of the two countries, scheduled for late January or early February.
The implementation of the road map between the two countries was characterized by a positive spirit of cooperation covering all areas; especially immigration, economy, politics, culture or security, he said, adding that work on improving mutual relations will continue.
Bourita said that Morocco and Spain, provide a successful model of cooperation in the fight against irregular migration in the Mediterranean, where the two countries protect regular migrants but fight against irregular migration networks.
He stressed the need to develop and strengthen security cooperation between the two countries to face external challenges, calling for strengthening strategies to combat irregular migration.
Referring to the dispersal of migrants who flocked to the Melilla border crossing, the Moroccan top diplomat said that “the event was not ordinary, but certainly not spontaneous, it was very violent, and we tried to deal with it in a responsible way, not tolerating human trafficking networks.”
“We have received an inquiry from the Moroccan Human Rights Council about the incident, and we have submitted a detailed report to all Moroccan authorities in order to clarify the circumstances of the incident, ” he said, adding that security cooperation with Spain contributes to the fight against these criminal networks.
Earlier, hundreds of irregular migrants attempted a recent mass break-in, during which 133 migrants managed to cross into Spain.
The confrontation between illegal migrants and Moroccan forces resulted in the deaths of 23 of the attackers, and hundreds of injured migrants and police.
Rabat states that the city of Melilla and Ceuta are part of the Moroccan national territory, considering them to be under Spanish colonization, while Spain considers them part of its territory.
Both countries are the EU’s only land borders with Africa and regularly witness attempts by migrants to reach Europe.
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