Eduardo González
The twelfth High Level Meeting (RAN, for its acronym in Spanish) between Spain and Morocco, which began on Wednesday with controversy due to King Mohamed VI’s stand-off of the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, concluded yesterday with a Joint Declaration in which both parties expressed their desire to “enrich” the “relations of excellence that have always united them”, reiterated their “commitment to human rights” and pledged to “promote trade and investment”. On Western Sahara, Spain reiterated its position in favor of the Moroccan autonomy plan.
Spain and Morocco yesterday held their first RAN in almost eight years. The last one was held in June 2015 and the next one was delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the very deep diplomatic crisis that erupted in April 2021 following Spain’s decision to host Polisario Front leader Brahim Ghali in a hospital in Logroño on humanitarian grounds. The turning point came in March 2022, with the Spanish government’s decision to accept the Moroccan autonomy plan for Western Sahara as “the most serious and realistic basis” for a solution to the conflict. As a consequence of this “thaw”, Pedro Sanchez and Mohamed VI adopted, on April 7 in Rabat, a bilateral road map which laid the foundations for the recovery of diplomatic relations and paved the way for the holding of the High Level Meeting.
Pedro Sánchez’s stay in Rabat began yesterday -as is the tradition among dignitaries visiting Rabat- with a visit to the Mausoleum of Mohamed V, where, accompanied by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, he made a floral offering at the tombs of Mohamed V and Hassan II (grandfather and father of the current Moroccan king, respectively). Later, the President of the Government held a bilateral meeting with the Prime Minister of Morocco, Aziz Akhannouch, while, at the same time, the eleven ministers who accompanied him in Rabat met separately with their thirteen Moroccan counterparts, with whom they finalized the twenty agreements signed at this Summit.
The RAN was attended by the First and Third Vice-Presidents, Nadia Calviño and Teresa Ribera; and the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares; Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, Justice, Pilar Llop; Transport, Raquel Sánchez; Education, Pilar Alegría; Industry, Trade and Tourism, Reyes Maroto; Agriculture and Fisheries, Luis Planas; Culture and Sport, Miquel Iceta; Science and Innovation, Diana Morant; and Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, José Luis Escrivá. Those who did not go to Rabat were the Second Vice-President and Minister of Labor, Yolanda Díaz; the Minister of Social Rights and leader of Podemos, Ione Belarra; and the head of Consumption and federal coordinator of IU, Alberto Garzón.
The two countries agree not to offend each other on sovereignty issues
Around midday, the plenary session began, and the two heads of government spoke at the opening of the session. In his words, Pedro Sanchez assured that both countries had reached a “commitment of mutual respect” whereby both in their discourse and in their political practice they will “avoid everything that we know offends the other party, especially in what affects our respective spheres of sovereignty”. These words obviously alluded, without mentioning them, to the Moroccan claims over Ceuta and Melilla and to the situation of Western Sahara. Sanchez was also “very satisfied with the success of the first commercial expedition that took place last Friday through the customs of Ceuta and Melilla” and assured that the two governments will “ensure together that these customs continue to open in an orderly and progressive manner until the full normalization of the passage of people and goods”.
For his part, Akhannouch also stated at the opening of the plenary session that his government’s desire is to increase bilateral cooperation and expand it to new dimensions and assured that the two parties want “a transparent and permanent dialogue, based on trust and mutual respect in dealing with issues of common interest”. He also reiterated his satisfaction for the new position of Spain in favor of the autonomy plan in Western Sahara.
Following the plenary session, some twenty agreements were signed. Specifically, the two countries agreed to move forward in migratory matters from “a constructive point of view”, seeking the opening of new channels for regular migration, such as circular migration projects. They also agreed to continue working “so that the commercial customs in Ceuta and Melilla continue to open in an orderly and progressive manner until the full normalization of the passage of people and goods is achieved, as established in the Joint Declaration of April 7”.
Apart from this, the two governments gave in this High Level Meeting a new boost to a new advanced economic partnership through a financial protocol (announced the day before by Sanchez during the Spanish-Moroccan business forum in Rabat), endowed with up to 800 million euros, to boost investments in sectors such as railroads, water, agri-food or tourism. “Spain wants to be a reference investor in Morocco”, declared yesterday the President of the Government. Likewise, both countries reinforced yesterday their collaboration in the fields of culture, education and vocational training and higher education and signed several agreements that will allow the opening of bilingual sections and teaching centers.
Joint Declaration
Subsequently, the President of the Government and the Prime Minister presented a Joint Declaration to the media in which Morocco and Spain express “their commitment to perpetuate the relations of excellence that have always united them” and reaffirm “their desire to permanently enrich them”. “In this sense, Spain and Morocco inscribe their cooperation within the framework of the Treaty of Friendship, Good Neighborliness and Cooperation, and of the reinforced political dialogue derived from the Joint Declaration of April 7, 2002, based on the principles of transparency, permanent dialogue, mutual respect and compliance with the commitments and agreements subscribed by both parties, and in which issues of common interest are addressed in a spirit of trust, far from unilateral actions or faits accomplis,” the text continues.
“The two parties stress that this High Level Meeting has been an opportunity to, on the one hand, review the objectives of the roadmap and the satisfactory results obtained; and on the other, to renew the determination of the two countries to act jointly in order to give continuity to this new dynamic, which is necessary for the well-being of the two countries and the prosperity of the region as a whole,” the Declaration states.
“In this regard, both parties have commended the work carried out within all the Working Groups, all of them already constituted and in operation, and above all the effort made and the commitment demonstrated by both parties, with a view to achieving the objectives set out in the aforementioned roadmap, inviting to continue the talks within the framework of these groups,” it continues.
In the text, “Spain and Morocco reiterate their commitment to the protection and guarantee of human rights as an essential basis for democratic coexistence, the rule of law and good governance, and agree to strengthen their cooperation in this area in the new stage of bilateral relations.” Likewise, “Spain welcomes the dynamics of openness, progress and modernity that Morocco is experiencing, under the active leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI”. Precisely, one of the controversies that arose in connection with this RAN was the decision of the Spanish Socialist MEPs to vote in the European Parliament against a resolution critical of the human rights situation in Morocco. The PSOE justified its decision in the name of “responsibility and in favor of frank bilateral relations based on dialogue and understanding” and Sanchez merely clarified that his party did not share “some elements” of the resolution and insisted on the need to improve relations with Morocco.
“Regarding the question of Western Sahara,” the Joint Declaration states, “Spain reiterates the position expressed in the Joint Declaration adopted on April 7, 2022, on the occasion of the meeting between His Majesty King Mohammed VI and the President of the Government, Pedro Sanchez.”
In the rest of the Joint Declaration, the two countries pledge to collaborate “actively” in promoting the flagship initiatives of the European Union’s Economic and Investment Plan for the Southern Neighborhood. Likewise, “Morocco stresses the importance it attaches to the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the European Union during the second half of 2023, in particular for the deepening of Morocco’s privileged relations with the European Union and for the strengthening of Euro-Mediterranean, Euro-Arab and Euro-African relations.”
In addition, Spain and Morocco undertake to promote trade and investment “for the implementation of joint development projects within the framework of a mutually beneficial partnership”. The two countries also welcomed the signing, during this High Level Meeting, of a Memorandum of Understanding on tourism. The Summit concluded with an official lunch offered by the head of the Government of Morocco to Pedro Sanchez at the Guest Palace.
PP and Belarra
Meanwhile, yesterday the controversy that arose the day before continued to simmer after King Mohammed VI did not come to personally receive Pedro Sanchez upon his arrival in Rabat and limited himself to a telephone conversation with him. “We have been able to see how Sanchez has given the measure of his international featherweight in the summit with Morocco,” said yesterday the general coordinator of the PP, Elías Bendodo, at a press conference. “Half of his own government is giving him a hard time and does not go, and King Mohamed VI dispatches him by phone,” he continued, also referring to the absence of the ministers of Unidas Podemos. “It is difficult to make more ridiculous,” he concluded.
For her part, Ione Belarra (one of the ministers who refused to attend the RAN) declared yesterday that the “public and notorious” assessment of her party regarding the Summit is that it has served to “consolidate a turn in the position of Spain regarding the Sahara, a turn that the socialist party carried out unilaterally”. United Podemos, a minority partner in the coalition government, has repeatedly criticized Pedro Sanchez’s decision to recognize the Moroccan autonomy plan for Western Sahara.
