Rabat – Spanish Foreign Affairs Minister Jose Manuel Albares has said that Morocco is a country of “crucial importance” for Spain and Europe, stressing that the new stage between the two countries is distinguished by “a new and very important chapter, namely education and culture.”
The Spanish FM made the remarks today on the sidelines of a meeting with the members of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Senate of Spain. The meeting focused on Spain’s foreign policy priorities for 2023.
“Our societies must get to know each other better, which is why we signed an agreement to establish new bilingual programs in Moroccan schools with a potential of up to 100 schools, as well as the construction of a new Spanish public high school in Rabat,” Albares said.
During the meeting, Albares expressed confidence in the roadmap that Spain has developed with Morocco, noting that it is progressing at the expected pace.
The Spanish FM recalled the High-Level Meeting (HLM), which was held on February 1 and 2 in Rabat and was the first in Morocco in 11 years. The HLM saw the highest number of agreements in 30 years with Morocco, as the two countries signed nearly 20 agreements.
Disclosing statistics about economy-related cooperation between Morocco and Spain, Albares said “We have signed important agreements to continue supporting the presence of our companies in Morocco with nearly 12,000 million euros of exports and 20,000 million of global trade in 2022.”
The figure makes Morocco the main trading partner for Spain outside the EU, the UK, and the US, Albares said, noting that more than 1,100 small and medium-sized Spanish companies have trade links with Morocco.
The minister emphasized the two countries’ bilateral cooperation in combating illegal immigration and terrorist cells which has been taking place in “a very difficult regional context, the most difficult in decades,” the Spanish FM concluded.
In 2021, Morocco and Spain faced one of the most unprecedented diplomatic crises when the Spanish government allowed Polisario leader Brahim Ghali to enter their territory for medical treatment.
Morocco called Spain’s decision a betrayal of the mutual trust and transparency required of long-term allies and good neighbors.
After more than a year of discussions, Spain and Morocco unveiled a new roadmap to strengthen their diplomatic ties.
The roadmap came after Spain officially endorsed Morocco’s Autonomy Plan in 2022, describing it as the most serious and credible path toward resolving the Western Sahara dispute.
Earlier this month, King Mohammed VI expressed satisfaction with the improvement of bilateral ties between Morocco and Spain as part of their agreed new roadmap to deepen relations.
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