Rabat – Moroccan Interior Minister Abdelouafi Laftit met with his Spanish counterpart, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, in Madrid on Monday for discussions on key areas of cooperation.
The meeting consolidated the already strong ties that exist between the two countries, built on a longstanding relationship of mutual respect and shared interests.
This partnership received a new boost with the adoption of a strategic roadmap during talks between King Mohammed VI and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on April 7, 2022. They confirmed their desire to go further in the implementation of this framework.
Beyond formal agreements, this meeting also marked an occasion when solidarity between Morocco and Spain was more prominently on-display.
The ministers recalled how, following the Al Haouz earthquake, Spain sent rescue teams without wasting any time, and in turn, the Moroccans showed up during heavy rainfalls in Valencia, in an attitude of reciprocity that persists between them to this date.
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Security was high on the agenda. Laftit and Grande-Marlaska welcomed the good work being done on organized crime and terrorism, focusing on improvement in intelligence sharing and operational coordination.
They agreed on further reinforcement of common efforts toward anticipation of emerging threats and to consolidate cooperation between security services.
At the sidelines of the meeting, Grande-Maralaska described cooperation between Morocco and Spain as “exemplary” in security matters. “Morocco plays a key role in combating human trafficking networks, and is an important partner to Spain,” he added to MAP.
Meanwhile, the ministers acknowledged that migration requires a common approach when tackling irregular migration and human trafficking.
They noted their shared vision for the promotion of legal and structured migration, which advances the relations between the two societies.
The Permanent Joint Migration Group (GMMP) is still one of the primary mechanisms for this purpose, with both ministers commending its role in the management of migration flows.
Laftit and Grande-Marlaska also welcomed the successful conduct of the 2024 Marhaba operation, through which Moroccan expatriates travel.
The two parties reviewed the preparation for its 2025 edition under the guidelines by the Mohammed V Foundation for Solidarity that ensure everything runs smoothly in the country.
The discussion also covered major international events, especially the two country’s joint-hosting of the 2030 FIFA World Cup. Both parties pointed to the importance of full collaboration with their respective countries alongside Portugal toward the successful running of the tournament.
“Sports cooperation bolsters the already outstanding security collaboration between our countries,” the Spanish minister said in his remarks while adding that both countries “actively work to establish the necessary security measures for this global event.”
