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Rabat – In a statement to local media, Spain’s defense minister, Margarita Robles, accused Morocco of breaking international law by using the Ceuta irregular migration incident as blackmail.
The minister stated, “We are not going to accept blackmail, the integrity of Spain is not negotiable or at stake and we are going to use all necessary means to guarantee territorial integrity and monitor the borders.”
Such strong language comes a day after Spain pledged €30 million to aid Morocco in securing its borders. Both countries have worked diligently to preserve some sense of normalcy amid deeply fraught diplomatic relations and avoid raising tensions further.
Read also: Spain Allocates €30 million to Morocco to Curb Migration Amid Ongoing Rift
Despite sporadic calls for calm from both sides, there is an abiding feeling in Rabat that Spain is unrelently flexing its sense of superiority over Morocco by mentioning the country’s economic strength and diplomatic connections.
Robles raised the severity of the Ceuta irregular migration incident stating, “It is an attack on the Spanish and European Union borders and that, in international law, is not acceptable.”
Referring to the nearly 8,000 migrants that crossed into Ceuta on Monday, the defense minister argued that Morocco broke humanitarian law by “using children to bypass international law.”
Morocco has vigorously rebuked Spain’s accusations. Reacting to what it perceives as unfounding provocations from both Spanish officials and media, the Moroccan government stated: “The Morocco of today is not the Morocco of yesterday.”
The international community has focused less on the migrants that entered Ceuta and more on the Spanish use of military forces to receive the migrants. Robles claimed that the military maintains a permanent presence in Ceuta and Melilla and their response was not in reaction to the mass irregular migration attempt.
Spain continues to argue that Morocco used the migrants as blackmail after the Spanish government dismissed Morocco’s opposition to the hospitalization of Polisario’s Brahim Ghali in Madrid. Morocco denies deliberately allowing the migrants to cross the shared Mediterannean Sea border, noting that it has worked with Spanish authorities to repatriate the migrants.
For all her provocative rhetoric, however, the Spanish defense minister adopted a conciliatory tone toward the end of her remarks, signaling Spain’s hope to salvage a severely damaged but crucial relationship with Morocco.
She referred to Morocco as a “neighbor and friendly” country and noted that she hopes the North African country will take responsibility for the attempt to blackmail the Spanish government.
