Ceuta: Spanish MNE receives guaranteed collaboration from Moroccan counterpart

Fantes of the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed about the meeting and that the two ministers addressed the return of irregular migrants who have remained in Ceuta since 30 July and who have no right to international protection.

In view of this, according to these sources, Morocco reiterated its full cooperation.

The Spanish minister stressed that he wants to maintain a good relationship with Morocco based on respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity and the principles of the joint declaration of 2022.

For his part, Morocco’s Foreign Minister, Naser Burita, considered it “deployable” that “Spanish political actors should feed free and controversial accusations” against their country after the Ceuta crisis.

“ It is unfortunate for Spain that political actors of great importance continue to feed the controversy, reprochees and free accusations, insulting the future of the association [between the two countries],” Burita said to the press after meeting with his Spanish counterpart.

“ The migration issue, the partnership [between Spain and Morocco] and the neighbourhood are not managed through verbal escalation, accusations or unfounded reprochements,” he said.

However, he stressed that the Moroccan authorities consider that the association with Spain is “mutually beneficial” and ensured that Morocco is “committed” to it but “in accordance with its principles and interests”.

“ This partnership is geared towards strengthening economic cooperation on security and migration and building a pillar of stability in the Mediterranean area,” he stressed.

Thus, he stressed that it is “fundamental” that that partnership “can evolve with serenity” and “lucidity”. “To preserve it, it takes two parts, and that is the responsibility of all those involved in this relationship,” he added.

At his meeting with Albares, Burita reaffirmed the “full collaboration” with regard to the situation in Ceuta, and both addressed the return of irregular migrants who have remained in Ceuta since July 30 and who have no right to international protection, Spanish sources from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported. EFE

Last Monday, the Spanish chief of diplomacy already said he was meeting Burita this week, both of them being in New York on the occasion of the UN General Assembly High Level Week, to address the return of migrants who are continuing in Ceuta after the massive entry on July 30.

Albares had also already guaranteed that he speaks almost every day to his Moroccan counterpart and that he transmits to him whenever he will collaborate on everything.

The situation in Ceuta also marked part of the agenda in New York of the President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez, who headed the Spanish delegation at the new session of the United Nations Assembly.

Faced with that Assembly, he stressed today that Ceuta is a Spanish city and praised the response that its citizens are giving to one of the biggest migratory crises of recent years, responding with decency and legality.

In addition, in an interview at CNN, he said that “it is clear” that Morocco’s border control mechanism failed in the massive entry of people in Ceuta on 30 July last and therefore asked that country for answers and measures.

Words that, in the press conference you gave to take stock of your participation in the UN events this week, stressed that they did not imply a change in your arguments about Morocco, since you insisted that you always said the same, that that country collaborates although failures occurred at the end of July.