MADRID, 21 (EUROPE PRESS)
The new communication between the two ministers is part of the normal course of diplomatic relations at the moment, and some announcements could come out of it, sources have indicated, who did not want to give any indication of their content.
The meeting will be the third between the two after the thaw caused by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s trip to Rabat on April 7 and his meeting with King Mohamed VI, where the foundations were laid for a new phase in the bilateral relationship.
Albares and Burita met twice at the beginning of May in Marrakech and took advantage of the presence of the Spanish minister at a meeting of the coalition of countries fighting against the Islamic State. Both then announced the reopening of the border in Ceuta and Melilla, which took place, albeit partially, on 17 May.
The new face-to-face between the two comes to stage a good reconciliation between the two countries after leaving the crisis over the reception of the leader of the Polisario Front, Brahim Gahli, in Spain and over the situation regarding the Sahara.
The letter from Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to Mohamed VI stating that Morocco’s autonomy plan for the Sahara is the “solid basis” for the solution paved this new phase and resulted in a joint statement that now serves as a roadmap.
By virtue of the same, it was agreed to reactivate several working working groups, such as the one related to migration issues or the one on territorial delimitation in the Canary Islands, as well as the creation of new ones. According to sources consulted, they are all already underway.
These working groups must report on their progress in light of the high-level meeting promised by Sánchez and the Alaouite Monarchy before the end of the year, thus starting the summit scheduled for December 2020, postponed due to the pandemic and never taking place. Sources have assured Europa Press that there should be no obstacle to the summit being held within the allotted time.
One of the issues that has attracted the most interest and has not yet materialized is the reopening of the Melilla customs post, which was unilaterally closed by Morocco in 2018, and its opening in Ceuta, where it did not exist. Sánchez announced this from Rabat, but the Moroccan government has never confirmed this point and even a senior official hinted that it would not be carried out, although he later qualified his words.
Regarding this issue, sources contacted by Europa Press have indicated that the talks are at a fairly advanced stage, although they did not want to give details on how the agreement will be implemented, especially in the case of Ceuta, where there are no previous facilities and the space which is available at the border is scarce.