Rabat – Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Bourita has touted cooperation between Morocco and Spain against irregular migration.
The officials described cooperation between the two countries as “the only success story” in the fight against irregular migration in the Mediterranean region.
Bourita made his remarks in a press briefing following his talk with his Spanish counterpart Jose Manuel Albares.
In the press conference, he said that Morocco and Spain are “completely” satisfied with the new bilateral roadmap that was announced by the two countries in April.
“Today, we discussed the implementation of the bilateral roadmap (…) and we expressed our complete satisfaction with the implementation of all its provisions and all the commitments,” the minister stated, stressing that today’s meeting is the third in less than a week.
The new meeting between the two officials “reflects the very close coordination and strong relationship that our two countries share,” Bourita said.
Bourita and Albares held talks on the sidelines of the 7th Regional Forum of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM).
“We are in a new phase of our relationship and we are very happy to continue working in all sectors,” Biurita said, stressing the two countries’ determination to work together at different levels, including trade, political dialogue, fight against irregular migration and terrorism.
Morocco and Spain exited a year-long political crisis in April after the European country decided to endorse Morocco’s Autonomy Plan as the most serious and credible basis to end the dispute over Western Sahara.
The announcement enabled both countries to announce a new roadmap to improve bilateral relations after their long-standing “strategic partnership” took a blow in April 2021 when Spain decided to host separatist group Polisario leader Brahim Ghali for hospitalization.
Morocco described Spain’s hosting of Ghali as a betrayal and an unacceptable breach of the reciprocity principle.
Following political dialogue and negotiations, Morocco agreed to reconcile with its European ally following Spain’s endorsement of the autonomy initiative.
The endorsement was followed by the visit of Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to Morocco in April 2022, where he met with King Mohammed VI.
The two countries will hold a high-level meeting next year to discuss more means seeking to boost ties.
