The Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union, and Cooperation, Jose Manuel Albares, stated on Friday that Spain, Europe, and Morocco “share vital interests” and that Morocco is a strategic partner for Spain and Europe as well as a neighbor.

“Morocco is a neighbor and a strategic partner for Spain and Europe. We share with Morocco, among other things, the management and channelling of illegal immigration, the fight against jihadism, the commitment to co-development and an interest in Africa”, noted Albares in an interview with the Spanish national radio Rne.

The head of Spanish diplomacy commented that ”without Morocco’s cooperation, Spain and Europe cannot dismantle jihadist cells and arrest terrorists”.

On the other hand, Albares indicated that the next Moroccan-Spanish High Level Meeting “will be a very important moment” in the relations between the two countries, assuring that Rabat and Madrid “have started a new phase with much more solid bases”.

We have many vital interests that must be managed jointly. The High Level Meeting is part of the Spanish-Moroccan roadmap adopted last April, during the visit of the President of the Spanish government Pedro Sanchez to Morocco,” he said, adding that since then, all bilateral working groups have been established.

Trade between the two countries has increased by 31% to reach nearly 10 billion euros, making Morocco the main trading partner of Spain outside the EU, excluding the United States and the United Kingdom, claimed Albares.

In addition, he explained, that all migration routes from Africa to Europe have grown significantly, between 60 and 150%, while those arriving in Spain have decreased by 30%, thanks to the collaboration of Morocco.

According to the new roadmap, the two nations are committed to, among other things, addressing issues of mutual concern in a “spirit of trust and consultation” and reactivating the working groups they established to revive  bilateral multisectoral cooperation.

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European Union and Spanish Cooperation Minister Jose Manuel Albares referred to Morocco as a trustworthy and important ally. In the last week of January, he said, there would be a high-level meeting with Morocco, the first of its kind since 2015.

Albares, in an interview with the agency “Europa Press”, stressed that this summit will give new impetus to the bilateral relationship between the two countries, noting that trade between the two countries has increased by about 30 percent, this year 2022.

The reopening of the customs in the occupied Melilla and the opening of new customs in the occupied Ceuta will be approved, according to Albares, by the High Joint Commission between the two kingdoms.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union, and Spanish Cooperation explained in the same statement that both countries want the opening to be orderly and progressive, noting that there are images from the past that we do not want to relive, and specifically excluding the appearance of a so-called atypical trade.

He referred to Morocco as a trustworthy and important strategic partner and stated that it is important to open the door gradually in order to avoid repeating past mistakes.

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Mr. Nasser Bourita, Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation, and Moroccans Abroad, and Ms. Liz Truss, British Minister of Foreign Affairs, met in London today for the third session of the strategic conversation between Morocco and the United Kingdom.

The Ministers emphasized their common vision for a strategic partnership between the two nations through improved political engagement, deeper economic and security cooperation, and the promotion of human and cultural linkages during their conversations.

In this respect, the two nations adopted a joint political declaration and signed two resolutions pertaining to the establishment of the key mechanisms of the United Kingdom-Morocco New Partnership Agreement, namely the Council and the Partnership Committee, which were signed in 2019.

A subcommittee on commerce, investment, services, farming, fishing, sanitary and phytosanitary issues, and customs was also constituted.

The two parties also agreed to keep working together in the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change.

Mr. Bourita and Ms. Truss used this opportunity to underscore the two kingdoms’ long history of amicable and mutually beneficial cooperation. They paid respect to the 300th anniversary of the signing of the first trade deal between Morocco and the United Kingdom, which took place in Fez on January 23, 1721.

Ms. Truss used this opportunity to express her gratitude on behalf of the British government for Morocco’s reforms, which have resulted in a stronger, more open, and dynamic Moroccan society and economy under His Majesty King Mohammed VI’s leadership. It also praised the Kingdom’s vaccination campaign as a triumph in the fight against the “Covid-19” outbreak.

Mr. Bourita, speaking on behalf of the Moroccan government, thanked the UK for its support in launching the Moroccan Vaccine Manufacturing Initiative, which has enabled Morocco and Africa to improve their health while also achieving economic results and high-efficiency positions in the productive sectors.

Mr. Bourita also held interesting discussions with Mr. James Cleverly, Secretary of State for the Middle East and North Africa at the UK’s Office for Foreign, Commonwealth and International Development.

Morocco and the United Kingdom also convened the first meeting of the Collaboration Council, which will serve as a platform for the two countries’ economic partnership to grow.

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