Angel Victor Torres, the Prime Minister of the Canary Islands, will travel to Morocco on official business on Wednesday. This will be the first trip of this kind after the recent diplomatic rapprochement, which is being surrounded by controversy over the demarcation of maritime borders between Morocco, Spain, and the Canary Islands.

The visit, which is anticipated to last a day and a half and will primarily focus on bilateral issues, including the demarcation of borders, was revealed by Julio Perez, a spokesman for the Canary Islands government, during a press conference held after the Council of Ministers meeting on Thursday in Las Palmas.

Torres will be accompanied on the tour by José Ant, Minister of Ecological Transition, Combating Climate Change, and Territorial Planning, Government of the Canary Islands, and Elena Manez, Minister of Economy and Employment.

Because the Canarian political parties accused Torres of “depriving” the islands of their place in the border demarcation negotiations between Spain and Morocco, Torres has been the target of political pressure, which he passed on to Pedro Sánchez, the Spanish Prime Minister.

Announcing that “the Canary Islands would be present in the negotiations to demarcate the maritime borders with Morocco, as it will profit from the implementation of the articles of the joint declaration reached with Rabat in April,” Sanchez said at the end of November of last year. Additionally, he stated that the Canary Islands delegate had already attended two sessions in June and October of last year.

Meanwhile, the Spanish Ministry of Interior reported a reduction in migration waves to the Canary Islands of 24.9%, with only 682 migrants arriving in the first nine months of last year—4.7% fewer than during the same time in 2021. The joint agreement that the two nations signed on March 18 of last year, according to the ministry, was responsible for this decline.

The Spanish Ministry of Interior had noted an increase in immigration rates of approximately 73.2% at the beginning of the year compared to the year before, but this surge decreased to 34.7% after one month.

Read Also: Catalonia, Morocco Seeking to Boost Cooperation

The post Canary Islands PM to visit Morocco, as demarcation of maritime borders drags on appeared first on Morocco Telegraph.

Following a presentation on the preparatory measures relating to the development of the 2022 Finance Bill (PLF), the Government Council met on Saturday under the chairmanship of the Head of Government, Mr. Aziz Akhannouch, to review an organic law project relating to the appointment to higher functions and several international agreements.

According to a news release from the Department of the Head of Government published at the end of the Council, the Minister of Economy and Finance, Ms. Nadia Fettah Alaoui, gave a presentation on the preliminary steps linked to the preparation of the 2022 PLF.

Ms. Ghita Mezzour, Minister Delegate to the Chief from the Government responsible for the digital transition and administrative reform, presented a draft organic law amending and supplementing the organic law relating to the appointment to higher functions in accordance with the provisions of Articles 49 and 92 of the Constitution to the Government Council.

According to the press release, the Council of Europe examined the protocol amending Council of Europe Convention No. 108 for the protection of individuals with regard to automated processing of personal data, which was signed on 10 October 2018 in Strasbourg, along with a bill approving the protocol, as well as reviewing two cooperation agreements signed on August 11, 2021 in Rabat by the governments of the Kingdom of Morocco and the State of Israel, the first concerning air services with a bill approving the agreement, and the second concerning cooperation in the fields of culture and sports with a bill approving the agreement.

The focus of the meeting was on the evaluation of the agreement establishing the African Monetary Fund, which was signed in Abuja on May 28, 2007, the Council also passed in review the Charter of African Cultural Renaissance, agreed during the 6th regular session of the Conference of Heads of State and Government of the African Union (AU) in Khartoum on January 24, 2006, as well as the bill approving said Charter, according to the same source.

Mr. Nasser Bourita, Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation, and Moroccans Abroad, submitted these agreements, the protocol, and the charter, according to the press release.

The post PLF, agreements with Israel, on the program of the Council of Government this Saturday appeared first on Morocco Telegraph.