Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares will travel to Rabat on April 1 to strengthen the bilateral relationship with Morocco. In this case, this trip will allow the reopening of the borders with Ceuta and Melilla and the resumption of maritime links and therefore of Operation Marhaba dedicated to MREs.
The head of the Spanish diplomacy will discuss with the Moroccan authorities with a view to “the complete normalization of maritime links” and the resumption of Operation Marhaba on the one hand, and the “controlled reopening” of the borders in Ceuta and Melilla in order to to restore the movement of people and goods between the two countries on the other hand. Visiting the city of Melilla on Wednesday, President Pedro Sanchez also assured that these borders will be reopened “very soon”, reports EPE.
Albares’ visit will serve to prepare Pedro Sanchez’s official trip to Morocco in the coming days. The minister explained to Congress on Tuesday that Morocco will strengthen its bilateral relationship with Spain, but that it will be up to the UN special envoy for the Sahara, Staffan de Mistura, to “propose a mutually acceptable solution”.
Albares insisted on the advantages for Spain of having changed its position on the Sahara, stressing that this decision, in addition to signaling the end of the “unsustainable” crisis with Morocco, will make it possible to strengthen police cooperation between the two countries “in terms of drug trafficking, human trafficking, the fight against terrorism and organized crime”.
“The government has sought a non-cyclical or rapid way out of the crisis” to achieve a “more structured” relationship with Morocco, which guarantees “the stability and territorial integrity” of the two countries, he added.
