The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation, and Moroccan Expatriates provided details on the latest developments in Morocco-Spain relations in a statement released on Thursday.
In the statement, the Ministry emphasized, first and foremost, that the Kingdom of Morocco has sovereignly chosen to engage, together with the Kingdom of Spain, in a relationship of good geographical neighbourliness, political understanding, economic partnership, and security cooperation.
This approach, the statement adds, reached its fullest expression in the Joint Declaration of April 7, 2022, following the meeting between His Majesty King Mohammed VI -may God assist Him- and President of the Spanish Government, H.E. Pedro Sanchez.
This Declaration, the statement recalls, marked a new phase in relations, based on the essential principles of mutual respect, mutual trust, ongoing dialogue, and the aspiration for a mutually beneficial partnership.
The ministry specified that, secondly, it is thanks to this approach that the two countries have succeeded in proactively fostering what unites them and in identifying their differences to be addressed with calm and respect, far from any attempt to create a fait accompli.
Tangible results have thus been achieved, particularly in the economic sphere (Spain is Morocco’s leading economic partner; the Kingdom is Spain’s second-largest trading partner outside the European Union) and in security cooperation (lives have been saved and terrorist and criminal networks have been dismantled, often at the cost of human casualties and property damage suffered by Moroccan forces).
Thirdly, cooperation on migration has always been coordinated and effective. The unfortunate events of last July certainly require a thorough investigation to determine the circumstances, identify any interference, expose any manipulation, and, above all, ensure that they never happen again.
Today, setting aside all controversy and rhetoric, common sense and truthful discourse call for asking straightforward questions: Why continue to level accusations against Morocco when no evidence, facts, or reports establish any involvement on the part of Moroccan authorities? Why are illegal migrants not being returned, even though the Moroccan government has officially committed to readmitting them? Why are unaccompanied minors being kept away from their families, when Morocco has urgently requested their return?, the Ministry questions, affirming that the answer to these questions is not to be found in Morocco, but with the relevant Spanish authorities.
Fourthly, the statement adds, Morocco regrets that some Spanish political and media circles persist in exploiting the Kingdom for domestic political purposes, noting that it is particularly regrettable that long-standing political parties, despite extensive experience in governing, could have fallen into this quagmire where unreasonable and populist escalation prevails over common sense.
Similarly, it is unfortunate that reputable legislative and judicial institutions err through ill-advised initiatives that lead to discord. These missteps, where discernment gives way to oversimplification and objective analysis to accusatory rhetoric, fuel a strategy of fear that is detrimental to all.
Fifthly, the source continues, the Kingdom of Morocco refuses to be used as a pre-election political pawn, nor will it accept being the scapegoat in political score-settling.
Geographical proximity is an immutable reality. It is political leaders who, through their courage and vision, turn it into an asset for the future, the Ministry emphasizes, concluding that strategic blindness, on the other hand, will transform this asset into a source of chronic mistrust and recurring tensions.
