Spain’s Top Diplomat ‘Pleased’ with Results of Cooperation with Morocco

The Spain-Morocco bilateral cooperation results, since the adoption of the Joint Declaration of April 7, 2022, are “very positive,” said Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares on Friday. “We are pleased with the very positive results,” said the Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation in an interview with Spanish newspaper Ara. “We have laid the foundations of a relationship based on new foundations.” According to him, these foundations are “mutual respect and benefit, the absence of unilateral actions and the respect of agreed commitments.” “We have trade relations that are at historic highs, with 20 billion euros of bilateral trade and 12 billion euros of Spanish exports to Morocco,” he said, adding that about 1,100 Spanish companies are present in Morocco. In addition, Albares assured that the prospects for the development of economic cooperation and the promotion of investment are “great”. In the fight against human mafias, illegal immigration has decreased by 69% on the Andalusian coast and 82% in the Canary Islands between January 2022 and the same month of 2023, while the Balkan route has increased by 157% in the same period, noted Spain’s top diplomat. Within the framework of this regular and permanent cooperation, Spain and Morocco have dismantled six jihadist networks in recent months, thanks to the joint work of the security forces of both countries, said Albares. For him, the High Level Meeting (HLM) held in Rabat on February 1 and 2, the first between the two countries in eight years, is proof of the progress made between the two countries. “This HLM was historic in terms of the record number of ministers present from both sides and the number of agreements reached,” he said.