‘Model of North-South Cooperation’: Spanish Top Official Hails Migration Management with Morocco

Spain’s State Secretary for Migration Isabel Castro Fernández described the management of migration issues with Morocco as a “model of North-South cooperation,” both in the fight against human trafficking networks and in the context of circular migration. “The Spain-Morocco permanent group on migration […] is an institutional framework that […] has formed the permanent basis of an exceptional partnership on migration between the two countries,” Castro Fernández told MAP. This statement is “supported by concrete actions that make it [the Morocco-Spain partnership] today a model of North-South cooperation,” she further noted on the sidelines of the 21st meeting of the Group, which took place on Friday in Madrid. In this regard, the Spanish official voiced her wish to see this “successful” experience “extended to other countries,” noting that Rabat and Madrid “are committed to continuing this experience with a global approach that reconciles multiple dimensions and contributes to jointly addressing and managing migratory flows from a human and security perspective.” Castro Fernández, who welcomed the “success” of this group, maintained that both parties are determined to “increase circular migration projects, strengthen cooperation in surveillance, and expand integration policies and the fight against racism and xenophobia.”