Dear Spanish friends,
There are truths that political passions sometimes end up obscuring. Self-evident facts we believe to be settled, yet which opportunistic rhetoric, electoral one-upmanship and partisan calculation slowly wear away. Relations between Spain and Morocco seem to face exactly this temptation today: to forget what truly matters in order to satisfy the moment.
So allow me to write to you — not to address a collective reproach, but to remind you of what our two peoples share, what they can build together and, above all, what they stand to lose when part of the political class turns its Moroccan neighbor into a weapon of domestic competition.
Spain and Morocco are not two countries that destiny, or fate — or whatever name you might find for something that transcends our comprehension — has chosen to place side by side. They are two nations that geography has condemned to meet and that history has bound together deeply.
Between north and south lie only a few kilometers of sea. The Strait of Gibraltar is not a wall: it is a passage, a thoroughfare, a bridge between two shores that have gazed at each other for centuries. Ships sail through it, goods cross it, families are reunited across it and destinies intersect there. There was a time when it was barely a kilometer wide…
The history of the Iberian Peninsula bears the imprint of the Mediterranean world and of Morocco. Centuries of contact, exchange, coexistence, conflict and intermingling have left deep marks on languages, architecture, traditions and cultures. Part of Spain’s heritage still bears witness to this shared history. And in today’s Spain, hundreds of thousands of Moroccans live, work, study and take part in the country’s economic and social life. Many families, on both sides, have personal ties that make this closeness far more tangible than mere diplomatic neighborliness.
Why, then, should this proximity be a permanent source of mistrust, when it could be one of the greatest assets of both countries?
You call yourselves Europeans — so be it… But what you share with Moroccans, and what draws you closer to them, is far stronger than what binds you to the Danes or the Poles.
Dear friends,
Let us look at realities rather than slogans. Spain and Morocco have complementary economies, companies that work together, considerable trade flows and development prospects that reach far beyond changes of government. Spain is a leading trading partner of Morocco, while Spanish companies find across the Strait a dynamic market, a gateway to Africa and an increasingly important destination for their investments.
Industry, agriculture, infrastructure, renewable energy, tourism, transport and logistics all offer opportunities for cooperation that can benefit both societies. Geographic proximity shortens distances, eases exchanges and gives this relationship a strategic value that few countries can claim.
At a time when economies are seeking to secure their supply lines, bring their production chains closer to home and win new markets, Morocco is a natural partner for Spain. And Spain is, for Morocco, an essential gateway to Europe.
Who can seriously believe that this complementarity would be better served by sacrificing it on the altar of political quarrels?
A calm relationship creates jobs, attracts investment and strengthens competitiveness. A deteriorating one breeds uncertainty, feeds distrust and weakens economic interests that concern thousands of companies and millions of citizens.
Good policy consists in consolidating these shared interests, not in exposing them to the swings of electoral rhetoric.
Estimados amigos,
There is also a political and security reality that no Spanish government can ignore: Spain and Morocco share major responsibilities in their region.
The fight against criminal networks, drug trafficking, human-trafficking rings and terrorist threats demands intelligence sharing, operational coordination and lasting trust. Managing migration — a sensitive subject on both sides — likewise requires pragmatic cooperation that respects fundamental rights and is mindful of human dignity.
None of these challenges stops at the border. None can be lastingly solved through posturing or systematic accusations.
Morocco is not simply a neighboring territory to which Spain can address demands without regard for its own constraints. It is a sovereign state, with its own interests, priorities and ambitions. As in any partnership between nations, cooperation requires dialogue, mutual respect and recognition of each side’s responsibilities.
Spain’s security and Morocco’s stability are not competing objectives. On the contrary, they can reinforce each other.
Queridos amigos,
A relationship between two countries is not measured solely in trade figures or diplomatic agreements. It is also measured by the way its peoples look at one another.
Moroccans settled in Spain contribute to its economy, its services, its agriculture, its commerce and many other sectors. They start families there, raise their children there and build their future there. Many Spaniards, for their part, live in Morocco, run businesses or work there, or have formed lasting personal and professional bonds there.
These men and women are not abstractions in a political debate. They are the everyday face of a human relationship that outlasts borders and changes of government.
When public debate indiscriminately portrays Morocco or Moroccans as a threat, when real difficulties are exploited to stoke collective fears, it is these bonds that pay the price. Citizens may go further still, into insult, denigration and even racism — and this happens on both sides. Above all, they become collateral victims of calculations in which they had no part.
It must be possible to talk about immigration, integration, security and sovereignty without stigmatizing an entire population. Firmness on principles and respect for people are not incompatible. A mature democracy must be able to uphold both at once.
In Spain, as in any democracy, parties have the right to oppose, to defend their own vision of the nation and to criticize their government’s foreign policy. Adversarial debate is legitimate. Disagreements over Morocco, migration or questions of sovereignty must not be off-limits. But there is a line between legitimate debate and the exploitation of one’s neighbor.
When Morocco becomes the object of electoral one-upmanship, when politicians give the impression that confrontation with Rabat is proof of patriotism, when complex realities are reduced to slogans designed to rally voters, that line is in danger of being crossed.
Spanish patriotism has nothing to gain from a deterioration in relations with Morocco. Any more than Moroccan patriotism would gain from making Spain a permanent adversary.
Defending one’s country’s interests does not mean despising those of one’s neighbor. Being firm in a negotiation does not mean nurturing lasting hostility. And criticizing a Moroccan decision justifies neither sweeping generalizations nor the presumption of bad faith directed at an entire people.
To Spanish politicians tempted by this one-upmanship, an obvious truth bears repeating: the applause at a rally is fleeting, while the consequences of a diplomatic crisis can last for years. And with what consequences…
A word spoken to win a few votes can complicate the work of diplomats, unsettle businesses, feed prejudice and erode trust between societies. It can also make it harder to reach compromises that both countries nonetheless need. Political responsibility begins precisely where short-term calculation ends.
Let us be clear-eyed: proximity does not erase disagreements. A shared history does not automatically settle questions of sovereignty. Relations between Madrid and Rabat have been through crises and are still marked by sensitive issues, notably Sebta, Melilla and the other presidios, migration and certain diplomatic choices.
Morocco defends its positions on these questions, just as Spain defends its own. It would be an illusion to pretend that these differences can vanish through mere declarations of friendship.
But the maturity of nations does not lie in denying their disputes. It lies in preventing those disputes from devouring everything else.
We must be able to negotiate without humiliating, to defend our principles without denying those of the other, and to seek solutions without turning every disagreement into a trial of strength. Historical and territorial questions deserve serious, diplomatic and responsible treatment — not permanent exploitation in the service of domestic politics.
Spain and Morocco have too many common interests to let their differences become the only lens through which their relationship is viewed.
Mis queridos amigos,
The world is changing. Africa is taking an ever larger place in the economic and geopolitical balance. Energy stakes, new trade routes, industrial investment and international realignments are restoring the western Mediterranean to considerable strategic importance.
In this new configuration, Spain can regard Morocco as a privileged partner, one with which it strengthens its place in Europe and expands its prospects in Africa. Morocco, for its part, can deepen its relations with Spain to strengthen its trade with Europe and make the most of its position at the crossroads of several economic spaces. This is not a matter of sentiment. It is a matter of rational analysis of national interests.
The future will not be written by those who keep old suspicions alive, but by those who know how to turn proximity into prosperity, difference into dialogue and diverging interests into acceptable compromises.
This is not about asking Spaniards to set aside their concerns or their positions. It is about asking them not to forget, either, that Morocco has its own dignity and its own interests, and that a stable relationship requires these to be taken seriously.
Dear Spanish friends, do not let the passions of day-to-day politics make you lose sight of the permanence of geography and the depth of history.
Morocco will remain the neighbor to the south, just as Spain will remain the neighbor to the north. No speech, no election campaign, no passing crisis will change that reality.
We can choose to make it a frontier of mistrust or a space of cooperation. We can let prejudice take root, or build a relationship founded on respect, frankness and reciprocity.
History has brought us together. Geography binds us. The economy makes us interdependent. Human ties invite us to understand one another. And the challenges of tomorrow compel us to cooperate.
It would therefore be a pity for short-sighted political calculations to jeopardize what the interests of our two peoples call on us to preserve and develop.
Friendship between nations requires neither forgetting disputes nor renouncing principles. It requires something more difficult and more noble: the ability to respect one another even in disagreement.
Spain and Morocco do not need to share every position to understand that they have much to gain by talking to each other, respecting each other and moving forward together.
We should also remember that solidarity between our two countries is not proclaimed only in speeches: it shows itself when peoples are suffering. When devastating floods struck the Valencia region in October 2024, Morocco promptly offered its assistance, then dispatched personnel and equipment: dozens of specialized vehicles and Moroccan teams took part in cleaning up and restoring the stricken areas.
That gesture recalls an essential truth: when disaster strikes, solidarity knows neither borders nor political calculation. Morocco did not watch Spain suffer as an indifferent neighbor; it mobilized to come to its aid. This deserves to be remembered by those who, in the heat of political competition, seem to forget that friendship between peoples is also measured by being present in difficult hours.
That is the simple truth I wished to remind you of. Because losing the trust that is only just beginning to take hold after a very long rupture would be damaging, not only to ourselves but, probably for a long time, to our children. It would be mortgaging the future.
Morocco has shown remarkable patience toward you; do not, however, mistake this dignity and sense of responsibility for signs of weakness…
With much love and consideration,
From a Moroccan neighbor who is waiting — or perhaps not — for your reply, and who believes that proximity should be an opportunity, never a condemnation.
