The Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union, and Cooperation, José Manuel Albares, stated, Wednesday in Valencia, that Morocco and Spain’s relations go beyond proximity, describing Morocco as a strategic partner of his country.
“Morocco is a strategic partner, not just a neighbor. It is necessary to maintain the best relations with neighbors such as Morocco, which is what Spain achieved,” said Albares during a meeting organized by Spanish Newspaper “Las Provincias.”
Albares recalled the 12th Morocco-Spain High-Level Meeting, held in February in Rabat, which brought together several ministers from the two countries and resulted in the signing of several agreements.
In a similar context, the Spanish minister emphasized the imperative of cooperation between Morocco and Spain.
“If we take into consideration areas as important as trade, the two countries have reached the record figure of €20 billion in trade, 11.000 Spanish companies export to Morocco, and 1.100 companies are already established in Morocco,” added the Spanish minister.
Referring to the management of irregular migration, the Spanish official also indicated that “all the European routes are increasing in an exponential and unthinkable way, with 305% through Italy, 95% through Greece, while an average drop of 75% was recorded through the Canary Islands and Andalusia.”
Based on the new roadmap, adopted on April 7, 2022, on the occasion of the visit of the Spanish Prime Minister to Morocco, at the invitation of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, the two countries are committed to addressing issues of common interest in a “climate of trust and consultation,” while resuming the working groups established between the two countries to boost bilateral multi-sectoral cooperation.
Morocco and Spain held, on February 1 and 2, the 12th session of the Morocco-Spain High-Level Meeting, which was marked by a joint declaration expressing the two countries’ desire to strengthen and enrich the excellent bilateral relations linking the two countries.
The two parties signed numerous cooperation agreements in different fields, including migration management, tourism, infrastructure, water resources, environment, agriculture, vocational training, social security, transport, health security, and research and development.
