Rabat – Spanish Foreign Affairs Minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya said on Wednesday that she held talks with her Moroccan counterpart Nasser Bourita as part of regular exchanges between the two countries.
She said Morocco will keep its borders closed until July 10, marking the end of its state of emergency extension.
Morocco is still consulting on whether it will keep its borders closed for a longer period or open them under safe conditions.
“We respect the decision of Morocco because the most important thing now is to control the pandemic and then restore the spaces for free movement,” added Laya.
The North African country closed its borders in March as part of the preventive measures to contain the spread of COVID-19.
The Spanish government was among the countries that rejected the reopening of borders to travelers from the non-EU countries that refused to open their borders to European citizens.
On June 30, the EU reached an agreement to allow travelers from 15 non-European “safe countries” to enter the Schengen Area starting July 1.
In response to the decision, some countries not only reviewed, but also shortened the list.
Spain left out Morocco from the list due to the lack of reciprocity.
Spain published the decision in its Official State Gazette on Friday, July 3.
