Business & Economy

Spain PM condemns Morocco’s alleged border exploitation for political gain

Madrid, May 31 (EFE).- Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said Monday it was “absolutely unacceptable” that Morocco could have leveraged the mass migration of more than 10,000 people crossing the border with Spain for geopolitical reasons.

“It is inadmissible that a government would justify attacking borders, in this case Spanish ones, opening the gates so that 10,000 migrants enter, in less than 48 hours, a Spanish city like Ceuta because of disagreements and discrepancies in foreign policy,” said Sanchez during a press conference after holding a summit with his Polish counterpart.

He was responding to a public statement by the Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs demanding that Spain clarify its position regarding the Polisario Front separatist movement in the Western Sahara region, after Spain agreed to provide medical treatment to its leader Brahim Ghali.

“The crisis is not just about a man: it does not start with his arrival, and will not end with his departure,” the Moroccan government’s statement said.

“It is, above all, a question of broken trust and mutual respect between Morocco and Spain.”

Two weeks ago, around 8,000-10,000 migrants, some 2,000 of which were minors, crossed into Ceuta, a Spanish enclave bordering Morocco, in a tumultuous few days that heaped strain on relations between Madrid and Rabat.

Sanchez reminded Moroccan authorities that they “should not forget they have no better nor greater ally in the EU than Spain,” as an “essential and necessary intermediary” with Europe.

He called for a “constructive attitude” with Morocco, adding that the “necessary bilateral relationship” should be built on respect and trust. EFE

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