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Rabat – Morocco reportedly invited Spain to participate in a local visit to the headquarters of the Central Bureau of Judicial Investigation (BCIJ).
The field visit, which was organized on Thursday last week, sought to introduce BCIJ’s work and counterterrorism approach to diplomatic representations.
In place of ambassador Ricardo Diez Hochleitner, who is currently on vacation, Spain’s charge d’affaires Montesino represented Spain in Rabat.
The visit marked the participation of diplomatic representatives from 22 countries, including the US, Russia, Canada, and Saudi Arabia, Spanish media outlet La Vanguardia reported.
Spain’s charge d’affaires in Rabat addressed the press after the conference, highlighting the importance of joint cooperation between Morocco and Spain in the field of counterterrorism.
Reporting on the event, Spanish outlet EFE said that counterterrorism cooperation is “an essential component within the broad collaboration between Spain and Morocco.”
In a similar report, La Vanguardia quoted Spanish diplomatic sources who expressed satisfaction with Morocco’s invitation.
“Any event that involves a return to normalcy is welcomed by the Spanish government,” the news outlet said.
One of the report’s unnamed diplomatic sources said that the invitation was significant because Morocco has continued to exclude Spain from several official meetings in Rabat in the past couple of months.
Spain’s participation in Thursday’s event was “ the first of its kind since the crisis between the two countries” in April, the source noted.
Tensions erupted between Spain and Morocco after the Spanish government allowed Polisario leader Brahim Ghali to enter Spanish territory with falsified documentation.
In response to what it saw as a lack of reciprocity from Spain, Morocco recalled its ambassador from Madrid and demanded an explanation.
The Spanish government dismissed Morocco’s concerns, however, claiming that its decision to allow the hospitalization of the Polisario leader was a “humanitarian” gesture.
For Morocco, however, the move meant that Spain was no longer a reliable ally and a “special” partner.
As the crisis deepened and Rabat signalled its willingness to reconsider its long-running friendship with Madrid, the Spanish government gradually shifted from dismissing Morocco’s concerns to tacitly announcing its determination to maintain its partnership with the North African country.
Most recently, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez reshuffled his cabinet, and many observers have argued that former foreign minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya’s mishandling of the crisis with Morocco played a major role in her exit from the Sanchez government.
