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Rabat – Moroccan and Spanish officials met in Madrid as part of preparations to launch the Operation Crossing the Strait 2023 (OPE-23).
The operation is part of the framework of the Spanish-Moroccan Mixed Commission seeking to promote coordination in the preparation of the operation, a statement from the Spanish government said on Wednesday.
“The meeting has served to specify the details of the Special Civil Protection Plan for the OPE-23, which will be closed in the coming weeks,” the statement added.
The operation is similar to Marhaba Operation, a Moroccan initiative facilitating the transit of Moroccans residing abroad and travelers during the summer season.
Morocco launches the initiative annually, benefiting over three million of Moroccan diaspora members who travel to their homeland to spend the summer season.
The operation usually takes four months, lasting from June to September.
Officials from both Morocco and Spain participated in the Spanish-Moroccan mixed commission meeting, including Morocco’s ambassador to Spain Karima Benyaich, director of migration and border surveillance of Morocco Khalid Zerouali, along with other senior officials from the national security and the royal gendarmerie representatives.
From Spain, undersecretary of the Ministry of the Interior Isabel Goicoechea participated in the meeting, along with general director of Civil Protection and Emergencies Leonardo Marcos, and other officials.
During the meeting, the mixed commission discussed several challenges and issues, including “the operational devices that both countries are going to put in place to guarantee the development of the OPE-23.”
The devices will be similar to measures adopted last year.
“In 2022, the Ministry of the Interior established a security device of 15,995 agents of the National Police and Civil Guard,” the statement said.
