Join on WhatsApp 
Join on Telegram Rabat – Spain is attempting to pressure Portugal into backing out from Morocco’s annual repatriation initiative, Operation Marhaba.
Reportedly, Portuguese authorities have reached out to Rabat to inform them of Spain’s attempt to isolate Morocco and stop the repatriation of the Moroccan community residing abroad. Madrid sent Lisbon a letter stressing that Portugal’s participation in Operation Marhaba “affects Spanish interests.”
As Moroccan living abroad (MREs) flocked to the Portuguese port of Portimao expecting to buy tickets for ferries connecting the Iberian city with Morocco’s Tangier Med, they were met with an unpleasant surprise. Neither the ticket booths nor the gates to board the ferries were open.
Moroccan news, i24, reports that Spain has threatened to impede any Portuguese ships passing through the ports of its Iberian neighbor if Lisbon chooses to participate in this year’s Operation Marhaba. Portugal has asked Moroccan authorities to give it two days to resolve the issue before the repatriation initiative can commence.
Read also: Strikes in Paris Airport Could Affect France-Morocco Flights
Spain has even escalated the issue to the European Union, the same source reports.
Tickets for the Portimao-Tangier Med connection were supposed to cost 450 euros for a family of four and a car. Once the route launches, it will be the shortest sea-faring connection between Morocco and Europe for this year’s Operation Marhaba. While the ferry connecting Spain’s Algaciers with Tangier Med only takes a few hours due to the 20 kilometer distance between the two coasts, ferries connecting Morocco with France and Italy take up to 40 hours.
Madrid’s heavy-handed reproach comes following its exclusion from this year’s repatriation initiative. The dispute is a part of a broader diplomatic rift between Rabat and Madrid that arose due to Spain’s decision to welcome the separatist leader, Brahim Ghali, into its borders without notifying Rabat.
Every year, between July and September, Morocco organizes the repatriation initiative to welcome back MREs. Moroccan authorities are expecting as many as 3 million Moroccans to make the journey home this year.
