Foreign Affairs Sánchez consolidates his shift in the Sahara in Rabat, although he is unable to reopen the customs of Ceuta and Melilla

Pedro Sánchez has consolidated his strategic turn on the Sahara with the recognition that Morocco plays "a decisive role for stability, peace and development" in this area of ​​the Maghreb

Foreign Affairs Sánchez consolidates his shift in the Sahara in Rabat, although he is unable to reopen the customs of Ceuta and Melilla

Pedro Sánchez has consolidated his strategic turn on the Sahara with the recognition that Morocco plays "a decisive role for stability, peace and development" in this area of ​​the Maghreb. This is stated in the joint declaration that the President of the Government has signed with his counterpart in the neighboring country, Aziz Ajanuch, in which he reiterates his position that the former colony should be an autonomous province under the guardianship of Rabat.

In exchange, the Spanish delegation has obtained the commitment to "full normalization" of the movement of people and goods in Ceuta and Melilla, but the reopening of customs will not be immediate, but will continue "in tests" according to "the agreed schedule to overcome any possible eventuality". In La Moncloa they justify the lack of specificity because technical aspects still need to be "fine tuned", such as measures to prevent smuggling, which guarantee that these border movements are made in an "orderly" manner.

In the declaration signed at the end of the High Level Meeting that was held this Thursday in Rabat, Spain "greeted the dynamics of openness, progress and modernity that Morocco is experiencing" and explicitly stressed the "active leadership" of the monarch Mohamed VI in the same. Likewise, from Madrid they emphasize that the Alaouite kingdom is a "credible and listened to regional and international actor" that plays a decisive role for the future of "the Mediterranean and Atlantic regions, the Sahelo-Saharan space and Africa".

The 74-point document does not include, on the other hand, any direct mention of Ceuta or Melilla, only a reference to the pilot test that was carried out on January 27 to open their commercial customs.

In addition, Spain and Morocco "reiterate their commitment to the protection and guarantee of human rights" after the PSOE voted against a resolution to denounce the lack of freedom of expression in the African country, where several journalists remain imprisoned.

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