<h6><strong>Eduardo González</strong></h6> <h4><strong>The Foreign Ministers of Spain and Morocco, José Manuel Albares and Naser Bourita, staged the Spanish government's support for the Moroccan autonomy plan for Western Sahara this Thursday in Madrid.</strong></h4> During the meeting, announced unexpectedly this Wednesday, the two ministers discussed issues such as migration, economic and trade relations, and security, but did not provide any details on the agreements in these areas. This was the first trip by the Moroccan Foreign Minister to Madrid since November 2019. At the end of the meeting, the two ministers offered an institutional statement to the media at the ministerial headquarters in the Viana Palace (without questions), in which Albares stated that relations between the two countries are experiencing "the best moment in their history" and assured that the roadmap agreed upon by the two countries to channel their relations is progressing "at a good pace" on issues such as the fight against irregular immigration and trade relations. The minister also reiterated Spain's support for the autonomy plan proposed by King Mohammed VI in 2007, which represents "the most serious, realistic, and credible solution" to the Sahrawi conflict. Albares thus echoed the words spoken three years ago by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez in an unexpected letter to the King of Morocco. This reversal of Spain's historical position regarding Western Sahara made it possible to overcome a very serious diplomatic crisis with Rabat and open a new chapter in bilateral relations, which was reflected in the roadmap agreed upon on April 7, 2022, by Sánchez and Mohammed VI in Rabat. In the same statement, Bourita affirmed that bilateral relations are at "a new stage." "April 7, 2022, was a turning point in our relationship; before, there wasn't so much trust or such a positive spirit," he continued. "The logic of the relationship has changed and made significant progress," he added. He also asserted that the autonomy proposal for Western Sahara has the support of the international community. He also criticized the "old-fashioned positions" of those in favor of self-determination for Western Sahara, accusing them of "not wanting a solution" and preferring to see the conflict drag on for "another 50 years." "It's very easy to speak from Madrid or Stockholm on this issue," he added. The meeting in Madrid took place three days after Bourita met with his French counterpart, Jean-Noël Barrot, at the Quai d'Orsay, after which the French Foreign Ministry issued a statement affirming that the Moroccan autonomy plan for Western Sahara "is the only basis for reaching a just, lasting, and negotiated political solution in accordance with United Nations resolutions." Last July, French President Emmanuel Macron wrote the exact same words in a letter to King Mohammed VI. Bourita achieved the same result on April 8 when he was received in Washington by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who reiterated that "Morocco's serious, credible, and realistic autonomy proposal" is "a basis for a fair and lasting solution to the dispute." President Donald Trump had already made similar statements in December 2020 during his negotiations with Morocco to achieve the normalization of its relations with Israel.
