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Rabat – The Port of Algeciras has called on the Spanish government to resolve tension with Morocco amid the economic crisis.
The port’s plea is in response to Morocco’s decision to exclude Spanish ports from the Marhaba Operation, a Moroccan initiative that facilitates the transit of Moroccans residing abroad (MREs).
Millions of Moroccans residing in Europe arrive every year via ferries crossing from Spain to Morocco during the summer seasons.
Morocco has decided to exclude Spanish ports from the operation due to the crisis with Spain, stemming from Madrid’s decision to host Polisario leader Brahim Ghali for hospitalization.
The decision resulted in frustration among Spanish ports, and several politicians stressed the importance of Spain maintaining good relations with Morocco.
On Tuesday, the president of the Algeciras port authority, Gerardo Landaluce, called on his country to resolve tension with Morocco during an online seminar organized by the Spanish news outlet, Diario del Puerto.
Landaluce emphasized the significance of promoting agreements with Morocco to avoid the port’s declining competitiveness.
This is not the first time the Spanish authorities and the media expressed frustration over Morocco’s decision.
Earlier in June, Spanish news outlet, La Razon, noted that over 3.2 million Moroccans from all over Europe routinely cross Spanish ports, including Algeciras.
Morocco’s decision to exclude the Spanish ports from the Marhaba Operation could potentially incur Spain’s economy €1.15 billion.
Spain’s economy will suffer a “real blow” as a result of the Moroccan decision, La Razon stated in response to the Moroccan decision.
The Secretary-General of the Nationalist, far-right Vox party in the Spanish Chamber of Deputies, Macarena Olona, also commented on the decision declaring that the Spanish port of Motril alone could lose nearly €20 million as a result of Rabat’s decision.
“This is without talking about the rest of the ports in Algeciras, Tarifa, Malaga, Almeria, Alicante, Ceuta, and Melilla,” Olona argued.
