The Spanish Foreign Minister, José Manuel Albares, stated on Wednesday that the bilateral cooperation between Morocco and Spain has yielded positive results. He praised the efforts made by Moroccan security forces in recent times to combat the attempts of thousands of migrants to enter Spain.
Albares, speaking in an address to the Spanish Parliament as reported by Europa Press, emphasized that, unlike the measures demanded by the far-right party Vox, cooperation with Morocco and other neighboring countries, such as Mauritania and Senegal, is what leads to positive outcomes in the field of migration. He cited Morocco as an example of successful cooperation.
In this context, Albares criticized the demands made by Vox regarding the protection of Spain from irregular migration, which include the expulsion of migrants and the deployment of the military to protect borders. He said, "If we implemented the measures proposed by Vox, we would be in conflict now with our neighboring countries," referring primarily to Morocco, as well as Mauritania and Senegal.
Albares pointed out that thanks to cooperation with Morocco, thousands of irregular migrants are currently being prevented from entering Spain. He urged Vox to acknowledge the efforts made by Moroccan security forces in combating irregular migration.
Albares further commended the recent efforts of Morocco in thwarting irregular migrants, particularly on the borders of the occupied city of Ceuta. The city witnessed several mass attempts at crossing in recent days, following rumors on social media claiming that access to Ceuta would be permitted.
The Moroccan security authorities successfully prevented all the attempts to breach the borders, and no migrant was able to reach Ceuta after Morocco intensified its security presence near the city's borders, stopping more than 4,000 individuals from reaching the border.
It is worth noting that the Spanish Ministry of the Interior recently praised the positive cooperation of Morocco in combating irregular migration to Spain and Rabat's commitment to fighting the criminal gangs involved in human trafficking. This response came following questions related to the current state of cooperation between the two countries on migration in light of recent migrant flows, which had been directed to the Spanish ministry by "Assahifa."
In its communication with Assahifa, the Spanish Ministry of the Interior also stated that Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska has, on several occasions, commended the ongoing cooperation between Morocco and Spain in the field of migration. The ministry referred to the outcomes of the Rabat meeting held on January 19, indicating that there has been no change in the cooperation between the two sides in combating irregular migration and human trafficking gangs.
