The Spanish government has expressed recognition and gratitude to Morocco for its excellent, effective, and cooperative efforts in the battle against irregular immigration, which have shown noticeable improvements at all levels.

Spain has consistently praised Morocco for its firm commitment and persistent efforts in the fight against networks involved in illegal immigration and human trafficking. Spain is aware of the crucial role played by Morocco as a transit country and its humanistic, holistic, and multidimensional approach to the migration issue.

The Kingdom’s credibility and its effective, efficient contribution to the consolidation of security and peace in the Mediterranean region have been confirmed by Morocco’s efforts, which were carried out in an atmosphere of shared responsibility and trust and yielded notable results.

Madrid has consistently supported Morocco as a trustworthy, dedicated, and responsible partner, even in the most challenging situations, highlighting the fact that the Kingdom is also a victim of unauthorized immigration and fully accepts its obligations in obeying laws and regulations to combat human trafficking mafias.

The president of the Spanish government, Pedro Sanchez, stated that some people “sometimes seem to think that countries like Morocco do not suffer from illegal immigration, but this does not correspond to reality.” This statement was made shortly after the violent, premeditated, and planned assault on migrants in Nador on June 24, 2022, which resulted in the injuries of dozens of Moroccan law enforcement officers and was conducted by migrants trying to force passage to Melilia. Moroccan law enforcement officers responded professionally to the attack, which was unprecedented and involved the use of extreme violence.

“We must recognize the efforts made by Morocco, which is also under pressure from irregular migration,” stressed Sanchez, adding that “the real culprits behind the violent assault by sub-Saharan migrants on the metal fence separating the towns of Nador and Melilia are the mafias.”

In this sense, he specified that “what happened at the fence (…) was a violent attack carried out by armed migrants,” calling for showing “empathy towards the Spanish security forces and the Moroccan public forces, who suffered a violent attack that left hundreds of law enforcement officers injured.”

Spain has repeatedly urged European nations to stand in solidarity with Morocco in its fight against human trafficking networks that employ cutting-edge, extremely violent operating methods and are willing to take any risk in the face of an increasingly complex phenomenon that puts the conventional mechanisms for combating human trafficking to the test on a daily basis.

The ongoing partnership between Spain and Morocco based on trust and shared responsibility in the fight against illegal immigration is “absolutely close, firm, and real, which can only generate tranquillity,” said Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska recently.

“We are working day after day with the Moroccan government to prevent and dismantle the organizations that traffic in human beings,” the Spanish official added, hailing the “permanent contact and coordination” between Rabat and Madrid.

“We are working together on an ongoing basis to prevent and combat the phenomenon of migration”, he said, adding that Morocco is “a loyal and fraternal partner, with which Spain enjoys excellent relations.”

Morocco and Spain consistently reaffirm their unwavering determination to act firmly and relentlessly against illegal migrant networks in accordance with the laws in effect and international law. They are cognizant of the new challenges of the international context, the dangers posed by networks of human smugglers and traffickers, and the maturity of their multifaceted cooperation.

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Le Figaro reported this Wednesday that the French Republican Party’s president, who has yet to set a date for his visit to the Kingdom, will undertake an official trip to Morocco from May 3 to May 5.

“This visit confirms our political family’s ties to the friendships that bind our countries together. The right-wing political organization stated in a statement that “it is a continuation of a rich history between the Cherifian kingdom and the Gaullist family, marked by the historical link that brought together General de Gaulle and King Mohammed V, a companion of the Liberation.”

Eric Ciotti, who is of Lebanese descent, wants to seek “a relationship of brotherhood and responsibility” centered on the “same concern to ensure stability around the Mediterranean.”

“A concern for security and progress carried today with ambition by King Mohammed VI, a key interlocutor in Mediterranean issues,” the same source claimed.

The political formation states, “It is up to us to strengthen this relationship of the future as beneficial to France and Morocco as it is to Africa and Europe.”

Ciotti has requested a referendum on immigration to alter the French Constitution and France’s pledges to family reunion on Europe 1 on Wednesday.

Ciotti stated that in order to “modify our Constitution, our treaty obligations, including the European Court of Human Rights which authorizes family reunification with its Article 8,” “we need a referendum to change the framework.”

Ciotti enumerated his demands while pleading for a “revolution,” including “no more rights for illegal immigrants, more social benefits from the first day for regulars,” and “that we treat the asylum applications at the border, stop family reunification, and review the code of nationality.”

This journey takes place in the middle of a diplomatic and economic crisis between the two nations, which frequently makes their citizens’ lives—which are intertwined by a tight geographic, economic, and historical proximity—come into sharp focus.

Relations between Morocco and France had been silently suffering  as a deep crisis persists, reflected on international standings on the Western Sahara, visa restrictions and space official visits.

A team from the French Senate, led by its president Gérard Larcher, was scheduled to travel to Rabat at the end of April, but that trip has been postponed until further notice.

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In a statement released on Monday, the president of the Canary Islands stated that “excellent relations between Spain and Morocco help the border regions” and that “the new energy that characterizes relations is favorable for the Canary Islands’ present and future.”

In a meeting called by Congress on Monday, Angel Victor Torres stated that “all border regions are the first to suffer when ties are bad.” According to the official, things are “normalizing” and “improving” between the two nations at the moment.

On unauthorized immigration to the archipelago, he asserted that “without a doubt, the number of immigrants has dropped over time,” adding that “it is apparent that the good relations between the two countries have led to more vigilance.”

“We are experiencing a new momentum when irregular migration drops in the Canary Islands by 60, or 40%.”

“The flow of migrants increases considerably at times of tension between the two countries, making it impossible to control the situation at certain times,” the official continued.

Prior to his two-day official visit to Morocco two weeks ago, Angel Victor Torres met with Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Bourita and Head of Government Aziz Akhannouch.

With reference to the later meeting, Torres stated that the border regions will be protected by both parties, emphasizing the importance of the Kingdom in defending Spain against unauthorized immigration.

According to the Spanish Ministry of Interior’s annual report for 2022, the number of illegal migrant flows from sub-Saharan Africa, which leave from Morocco’s southern coast, has decreased.

According to data from the ministry, which was reported in the DEBATE daily, “the number of migrants who entered Spain illegally throughout 2022 is 29,999, 8,980 less than it was in 2021 by almost 23%.”

As a result of Moroccan-Spanish security cooperation and the Melilla-Nador border wall tragedy, according to official data, migrant flows decreased. Some migrants chose to leave the area and look for other opportunities outside of the enclave.

The Spanish Ministry of Interior observed an increase in immigration rates to roughly 73.2% at the beginning of last year compared to the year before. However, this increment increased to 34.7% after a month.

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The Council of the Moroccan Community Abroad (CCME) signed two partnership agreements on Friday: the first with Al Akhawayne University for the creation of the Ibn Khaldoun Center on Immigration and the second with the Faculty of Letters and Humanities, University Mohammed V Rabat, on the launch of an annual Forum called “the Spring of Social Sciences”.

Accordingly, the signing ceremony took place at Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane city, on the sidelines of the first session of this Forum. On this occasion, the secretary general of the CCME Abdallah Boussouf underlined the importance that the Council attaches to research in social sciences, given their central role in the development of public policies accompanying the changes within the Moroccan community Residing Abroad (MRE).

Boussouf considers that no effective public policy can be implemented in the absence of sociological studies, underlining the interest that the CCME has given, since its creation, to the development of scientific knowledge in this field reflected in its various publications on immigration issues and studies that are made available to all researchers.

To this end, recalls the Secretary General, the Council has adopted a participatory approach involving the university in research on immigration issues with several agreements concluded with Moroccan and European universities. For Abdellah Boussouf, the 2011 constitution raised the bar very high by devoting four articles to the Moroccan community abroad that meet their aspirations. However, he stressed that the government’s actions did not meet these aspirations. This is due, according to him, to the absence of a real scientific knowledge of the questions of the MRE. In this context, Boussouf referred to the problems raised by the recent signing of the agreement on the automatic exchange of banking information with OECD countries, considering that the government did not have sociological studies or has there been an impact study of such an agreement on society and on MRE in particular.

For his part, the Minister Delegate in charge of higher education and scientific research Driss Ouaouicha indicated that his department attaches great importance to the issue of investment in the social sciences, calling for this forum to be an international meeting point inviting various universities to participate to serve the influence of our country and for more interactions and exchange of experiences between researchers.

In the same vein, the President of Mohammed V University highlighted the ambition of the university to give an international dimension to this forum in order to support Moroccans around the world interested in sociology.

The president of Al Akhawayn University, Amine Bensaid also underlined the centrality of the social sciences in the development of public policies, along with other sciences and specialties. He revealed that Al Akhawayn University aspires to make Ifrane a smart university city that places the citizen at the center of its development by obviously putting the social sciences at the forefront to serve this purpose.

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French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Jean-Yves Le Drian, on a two-day visit to Morocco starting today. The visit will focus on strengthening bilateral collaboration according to the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

A spokesman for the “Quai d’Orsay”, said that during this visit, the head of the French diplomacy will meet with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans residing abroad, Mr. Nasser Bourita, in order to “discuss strengthening bilateral cooperation, especially in the field of combating illegal immigration, as well as Regional and international issues”.

According to the official spokesman, the French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs will visit Mohammed VI Institute for the Training of Imams, “Mourchidin”, and “Mourchidat” in Rabat, which was established by His Majesty King Mohammed VI in 2015. “The Minister will continue the efforts of interpretation and mitigation of the atmosphere that the President of the Republic undertakes.”

After that, the French diplomatic chief will visit Mohammed VI Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, where he will sign a support agreement from the French Development Agency for the Moroccan Foundation for Museums.

A spokesman for the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs concluded that Mr. Jean-Yves Le Drian will visit Descartes High School, where a virtual panel discussion will be held with a total of 44 French school principals in Morocco, which constitutes the second largest French educational network in the world with a number of 44,000 students.

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