Rabat – Spain’s rcently appointed Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares has called for “tranquility, time, and discretion” to solidify diplomatic relations with Morocco.
Albares replaced Spain’s former Foreign Minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya on July 12, and he has since appeared to approach the Moroccan-Spanish diplomatic rift with refreshing pragmatism. He is apparently working on the crisis outside the media’s scrutinizing view, promising to deliver results before headlines.
Speaking at the Spanish Ministry on Wednesday, following the inauguration of two new general directors of the minister’s team, Albares stressed that “diplomacy requires tranquility, time and discretion, which serves to open safe paths in which relations are solid,” according to reports by Spanish outlet El Espanol.
As part of his inauguration tour, Albares has already visited the UK, and is preparing to visit Portugal next. While Morocco is traditionally the first destination that Spanish Foreign Ministers visit, Albares explained that he hopes to re-establish solid relations with Rabat before crossing the strait to pay an official visit to Morocco, according to the Spanish newspaper.
While there are multiple reasons for the diplomatic crisis that unraveled earlier this year, Spain’s admission of the Polisario leader Brahim Ghali without notifying Morocco is one of the more widely discussed origins of the crisis. At the time, the Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and the former foreign minister took a more aggressive approach towards Morocco, namely by attempting to enlist Europe in trying to isolate Rabat.
Yet, following Madrid’s recent ministerial reshuffle and the inauguration of a new FM, Spain appears to have completely changed its attitude, expressing hope for renormalizing relations with Rabat. Sanchez has already stressed the need for “discretion” to resolve the ongoing diplomatic fallout with Morocco, while Albares has requested that “diplomacy be left to work quietly” to allow for “results and not strident headlines.”
