Morocco ‘source of stability’ – Spanish Foreign Minister says

Morocco is a source of stability for Spain and a strategic partner, said Spanish Foreign Minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya.

 

The Spanish official, who was paying her first visit to Morocco and her first visit abroad outside the European Union, since her appointment md-January, commended the close cooperation with Morocco in the fight against terrorism and management of migratory flows, underscoring the need to further develop cooperation at the academic, scientific and technology levels.

 

The Spanish official also welcomed Morocco’s readiness to engage in dialogue to resolve overlaps in territorial waters while acknowledging the North African Kingdom’s sovereign right to delimit its territorial sea.

 

Spain is Morocco’s first trading partner and over 20,000 Spanish SMEs export to Morocco, she said, adding that Morocco is Spain’s second largest trading partner outside the EU.

 

Echoing her, Morocco’s Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita underscore the “strategic partnership” between the two countries.

He said Moroccans are the first non-EU community in Spain with over 30,000 Moroccan students enrolled in Spanish universities and educational institutions.

 

He said Spain and Morocco are working together to improve the EU’s relations with its southern neighborhood.