Rabat-Madrid Stand Out as ‘Key’ Structural Axis of Relations between North and South of Mediterranean – European News Outlet

The Rabat-Madrid axis stands out, today, “as a key structural axis of relations between the North and the South of the Mediterranean, between Europe and Africa,” writes EUReporter, a Brussels-based online news outlet. In an article headlined “Sahara: Rabat and Madrid Lay the Foundations for 21st Century Relationship,” the portal notes that “the Morocco-Spain partnership is now in perfect harmony with geography, history and the legitimate aspirations of both peoples for good neighborliness, shared prosperity and co-development. The media outlet argues that as a nation providing stability and security, Morocco bears very heavy responsibilities, which strain its public policy budgets, given the high financial cost of securing its northern and eastern borders. It is therefore up to Spain, which faces the issue of illegal migration, to urge Europe to respect and unleash the energies that can promote and consolidate the process of co-development that will limit the flow of migration, while ensuring prosperity in Africa, adds EUReporter. Rabat and Madrid are aware of these challenges and of “the urgent need to establish multifaceted partnerships including security aspects, infrastructure, industry, culture, education and vocational training.” The letter sent on March 14 by the President of the Spanish government, Pedro Sanchez, to HM King Mohammed VI acknowledging, without ambiguity, “the importance of the Sahara issue for Morocco”, and deeming the Moroccan autonomy initiative as “the most serious, realistic and credible basis” for the resolution of the dispute, was, in many respects, a “historic moment of the utmost importance in the age-old relations between the two kingdoms,” according to the news outlet. For observers, Madrid’s new position on the Moroccan Sahara issue “has undoubtedly shifted regional geopolitics.” The new position of Spain has made the headlines in the international media and continues to do so, says EUReporter, adding that observers welcomed the “crucial” role played by HM the King in resolving the crisis between the two countries and in opening a new phase in a “multiform partnership.” In a broader context, the leadership of the Sovereign “bestows on the Kingdom of Morocco a place of choice in redefining the major regional, continental and international geostrategic balances,” EUReporter concludes.