Morocco Has Always Shown Solidarity with Spain – Foreign Ministry –

Morocco has always shown solidarity with Spain, said Monday the ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans Abroad in a statement on the crisis between Morocco and Spain. “There are, of course, natural difficulties linked to the neighbourhood, including cyclical migratory crises. However, these difficulties should never make us forget that solidarity is to partnership what reliability is to good neighbourliness and what trust is to friendship,” the ministry explained, recalling that it is this solidarity that Morocco has always shown towards Spain. Recent history teaches us that there have been numerous actions in this regard, it noted. In 2002, for example, following the sinking of an oil tanker, Morocco graciously opened its territorial waters to 64 fishing vessels, belonging to the region of Galicia, while the fishing agreements had not yet been concluded, it added. In 2008, when Spain was in the midst of an economic crisis, Morocco granted exemptions to welcome with open arms and allow the installation and activity in Morocco of Spanish workers and entrepreneurs, it recalled. “In the midst of the Catalan crisis, Spain has always been able to count on Morocco, which defended, without reservation, its national sovereignty and its territorial integrity, through actions (ban on entry of Catalan separatists into Morocco, ban on all contact between Consulate of Morocco in Barcelona and the Catalan separatist movement) and positions (clear and strong support statements),” it emphasized. The same solidarity spirit has always prevailed in security cooperation and the fight against illegal migration. Thus, migration cooperation has enabled, since 2017, the abortion of more than 14,000 irregular migration attempts, the dismantling of 5,000 trafficking networks since 2017 and the prevention of countless assault attempts, it noted. Cooperation in the fight against terrorism has enabled the dismantling of several cells, with ramifications both in Morocco and Spain and the neutralization of 82 terrorist acts, the ministry said, recalling the decisive contribution of the Moroccan services in the investigations carried out following the bloody attacks in Madrid in March 2004. “Similarly, cooperation in the fight against drug trafficking led to a fruitful exchange on some twenty cases related to international drug trafficking,” it added. How after all this, can we seriously talk about threats and blackmail in connection with the statement of the Ambassador of His Majesty the King in Madrid? the ministry said, adding that” frankness has never been a threat, and the legitimate defense of positions cannot be equated with blackmail.”