Spain Seeks ‘Good Neighbourly Relations’ with Morocco as Migration Crisis Shadows Royal Visit
The first royal visit since 2007 comes as migration pressures and border deaths keep relations with Rabat under strain.
- King Felipe and Queen Letizia visited Ceuta on Tuesday, calling for "good neighbourly relations" with Morocco during the landmark visit, their first head of state trip to the North African territory since 2007.
- The visit followed rising friction between Madrid and Rabat, which claims Ceuta and Melilla as its own; tensions escalated after more than 72,000 migrants crossed from Morocco into the enclave.
- Streets of the 84,000-person territory were packed with thousands of Ceutans waving Spanish flags and chanting "I am a Spaniard." The royal couple visited a cemetery where most of more than 100 migrants who died in July were buried.
- Opposition parties accuse Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez of failing to defend Spanish sovereignty as at least 10,000 migrants remain, straining local resources ahead of the November 29 general election.
- On Wednesday, the royal couple will visit Melilla, 370 km southeast of Ceuta, where the King stressed that cooperation with Morocco matters, yet "Ceuta is Spain; Ceuta is Europe.
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The kings put an end to their visit to Ceuta and Melilla with a message of firmness in defense of both cities and a direct petition to Morocco. Philip VI advocates that Spain and the European Union maintain a good-neighbourly relationship with the neighbouring country, based on trust, mutual respect, stability and security, but on one condition: that both parties act in good faith.
The monarch has affirmed that the Spaniards are members of a Union "that firmly believes in the rule of law and human dignity." "It is a very high standard fruit of a long and difficult path, but that no one confuses those convictions with weakness," he added.
"All the institutions, starting with the Head of State, must work with the same awareness of the common good", said King Morocco before the visit of the kings to Ceuta and Melilla: the ghost of 2007 and the risk of a diplomatic crisis The kings have continued with their official visit to Melilla this Wednesday. In his speech to close the day, Philip VI, as he did in Ceuta the previous day, has called for "civilism" and asked Morocco for a relati…
The King called on Spain and Morocco to "build and preserve a good-neighbourly relationship" this Wednesday in Melilla, ensuring a future "of mutual benefit through peace, security, stability and cooperation, in good faith".In his speech during the first official visit as ... Continue reading "The King calls from Melilla to Morocco and Spain "to build and preserve a good-neighbourly relationship""
Spanish king asks for ‘good faith’ during speech in Ceuta
CEUTA, Spain -- King Felipe VI delivered a staunch message of support for Ceuta as being an integral part of Spain on Tuesday when the monarch visited the North African territory amid a protracted migration crisis that has strained relations with Morocco.
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