Rabat – The high-level summit between Morocco and Spain will see the signing of nearly 20 agreements to boost diplomatic and commercial ties between the two countries.
The summit will take place in Rabat on February 1-2, convening senior officials from Morocco as well as a delegation consisting of 12 ministers from the Spanish government.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez will lead the delegation.
Spanish outlet EFE quoted sources, stressing that Sanchez and Morocco’s Head of Government Aziz Akhannouch are set to chair the signing ceremony of about 20 agreements as part of a business forum included in the summit.
During the summit, Spain and Morocco are also expected to renew their determination to work together to tackle common issues such as irregular migration and terrorism.
The high-level meeting is also determined to tackle customs issues in the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla.
EFE said that the meeting will mark the opening of a commercial customs office in Ceuta, and the reopening of another one in Melilla.
“These are tangible and concrete results,” the sources told EFE stressing that the development reflects “that the right thing is being done in the bilateral relationship.”
The sources also recalled the significant decrease in the number of irregular migrants from Morocco to Spain.
The Spanish Prime Minister has been reiterating his country’s determination to continue to boost ties with Morocco – stressing that such cooperation benefits not only Spain but the whole European Union.
“Of all the migratory routes to Europe, the only one that has diminished is that from Morocco to Spain,” he said earlier this month.
Sanchez’s remarks came following criticism from some Spanish parties, who lashed out at the government after Spanish MEPs from the socialist party voted against a recent hostile resolution from the European Parliament against Morocco.
Adopted on January 19, the resolution criticized Morocco’s human rights law, accusing the North African kingdom of “harassing and intimidating journalists, activists, and diaspora activists” for their work.
In addition to counterterrorism and irregular migration, trade between the two countries has grown by over 31% in 2022.
Morocco and Spain introduced a new-found roadmap in April 2022 to improve diplomatic ties following a year-long crisis. In 2021, Spain’s decision to host the Polisario Front leader Brahim Ghali for hospitalization stirring outrage and frustration in Morocco.
Spain later improved diplomatic ties with Morocco after endorsing Morocco’s Autonomy Plan as the most serious and credible basis to end the dispute over Western Sahara.
