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The Spanish Foreign Minister highlighted "the extraordinary figures in the fight against irregular immigration" thanks to the bilateral partnership between the two countries

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Margarita Arredondas
Updated: 30/05/23 | 15:00
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The High Level Meeting (HLM) between Morocco and Spain inaugurates a new stage in relations between the two countries. After eight years, the Spanish and Moroccan governments are meeting again in this type of meeting with the aim of strengthening and boosting bilateral ties in different areas.

Following yesterday's successful Morocco-Spain business forum, the two executives are meeting to address common issues and interests and to sign more than 20 agreements in various sectors such as the economy, trade and education. Given its importance, the HLM will be attended by a large number of ministers, both Spanish and Moroccan. 

Among the Spaniards, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism, Reyes Maroto, will be present, as well as the head of Spanish diplomacy, José Manuel Albares, who has assured that the purpose of this visit and meeting is to "reinforce more solid foundations between Spain and Morocco". 

Albares listed three main objectives of the HLM. Firstly, work will be done to "maintain a reinforced political dialogue on much more solid and transparent bases, with permanent communication, mutual respect and mutual benefit". Progress will also be made in economic association and in the cultural and educational fields. In the latter area, the minister said that education in Spanish will be promoted. 

Within Spanish-Moroccan cooperation, the diplomat highlighted "the extraordinary figures for the fight against irregular immigration". The figures for January 2023, compared to the same month last year, reveal a 69% reduction in irregular migratory flows to Spain from Morocco as a transit country, and an 82% reduction if we take only the Atlantic coast and the arrival in the Canary Islands. Albares also referred to economic data, stressing that global trade between the two countries is worth around 20 billion euros. 

Speaking to the press, the Spanish minister mentioned the "long" telephone conversation between King Mohammed VI and President Pedro Sánchez. "The phone call had been previously agreed and was planned," he said. Albares stressed the "prior and personal involvement" of the Moroccan monarch in the relationship between Rabat and Madrid. 

"The King of Morocco, like the President of the Government, is convinced that this High Level Meeting is going to be a success and that it will only reinforce this new stage of our relations on even stronger and more solid foundations to avoid any misunderstandings that may have occurred in the past," he explained.

Albares assured that the Spanish Government "will spare no effort" to defend the interests of the Spanish people, as well as to "have the best possible relations" with the country's neighbours, "but especially with those with which it shares a land border, as is the case with Morocco". 

"Morocco is fundamental for the stability of the Euro-Mediterranean area"

During his stay in Rabat, the Foreign Minister gave an interview to M24, a channel linked to the Moroccan news agency, MAP. During the conversation with journalist Omar El Mrabet, Albares once again stressed the good state of Spanish-Moroccan relations, especially in trade, economic and immigration matters.

"The joint management of the irregular migratory flow has led to a significant reduction of 31% in arrivals on Spanish shores, while we see how all migratory routes from Africa to Europe are experiencing exponential growth," Albares indicated.

On the economic and commercial front, the minister stressed that the strong bilateral ties demonstrate "the trust and strategic relationship that we are building". In this regard, Albares also wanted to highlight "the strengthening of political dialogue that has resulted in the audience granted by HM King Mohammed VI to the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez", as well as the eight meetings he has held with his counterpart, Nasser Bourita, both in Morocco and in Spain. "We are in constant dialogue at all levels, and the meetings between the various ministers are producing concrete results in this new phase," he added.

During the interview, he also alluded to the agreements to be signed. Specifically, he referred to the agreements that both countries will reach on cultural and educational matters, which will be "mutually beneficial for the Spanish and Moroccan peoples to get to know each other even better on a more solid basis".

He also spoke about relations between Morocco and the European Union, assuring that the North African country is "a partner of the first order" for Brussels. Albares defined Morocco as a "fundamental nation for the stability of the Euro-Mediterranean area" that plays "a key role" in the stability and development of the region. "Just as the relationship between Spain and Morocco is mutually beneficial, the relationship between Morocco and the EU is also mutually beneficial", he added.

To conclude, Albares praised the "modernising dynamism" that Morocco has experienced in recent decades. "The progression of modernisation in Morocco is a fact that can be seen if we look at the last 20 or 30 years," he concluded.

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