<h6><strong>Eduardo González</strong></h6> <h4><strong>The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, and the President of Mauritania, Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, urged the European institutions and Member States on Wednesday to strengthen their political and financial commitment to this African country by developing "a comprehensive and strategic agreement" on migration that will contribute to increasing institutional capacity, the provision of technical and human resources, and support for socioeconomic development projects.</strong></h4> This is one of the points of the joint declaration signed this Wednesday by the governments of Spain and Mauritania within the framework of the first High-Level Meeting (HLM) between the two countries, held in Nouakchott. At this meeting, four agreements were also reached on transport (a framework for collaboration on strategic planning, railway development, airport management, air navigation, sustainability, and digitalization), social security (with the aim of strengthening bilateral cooperation, especially regarding the protection of migrant workers), cybersecurity, and national parks. The meeting was attended by the Third Vice President and Minister for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, Sara Aagesen, and the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares; Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska; Minister of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, Óscar Puente; Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food, Luis Planas; Inclusion, Social Security, and Migration, Elma Saiz; and the Minister for Digital Transformation and Public Service, Óscar López. "In addition to traditional collaboration in fisheries and cooperation, our bilateral relationship is gaining increasing relevance in other areas, such as the economy and business, migration, and security, but also in other fields, such as culture," declared the Prime Minister at the end of the meeting. <h5><strong>The joint declaration</strong></h5> The joint declaration reaffirms the will of both parties to strengthen bilateral political dialogue and dialogue on issues of regional and global interest, and the commitment of both countries to "a fairer international order and a more democratic multilateralism." It also highlights Mauritania's "relevant role on the African continent and the international scene, as demonstrated during its recent Presidency of the African Union and also on the occasion of the election of Mauritania's candidacy for the presidency of the African Development Bank." Both parties share an appreciation of the political and socioeconomic situation in West Africa and the Sahel, "for whose security and stability Mauritania's contribution is essential." They also strengthen their collaboration to address "the extraordinary relevance of the challenges in the Sahel, primarily in the security, migration, and humanitarian areas." Furthermore, Spain recognizes its "firm commitment to the prosperity and sustainable and equitable development of Mauritania, where Spanish Cooperation has been working since 1995," and both parties "welcome the signing, in February 2024, of a new Country Partnership Framework (CPF) for the period 2024-2027, which is aligned with the Mauritania Strategy for Accelerated Growth and Shared Prosperity (SCAPP 2016-2030)." <h5><strong>Migration</strong></h5> Likewise, Spain and Mauritania welcome "the close, solid, and sustained cooperation they maintain on migration, which is based on mutual consideration, solidarity, shared responsibility, and respect for human rights," and consider that "collaboration in this area must continue to be one of the priorities in the relationship between the two countries." Both parties recognize "the positive contribution of orderly, regular, and safe migration to the inclusive growth and sustainable development of their respective countries and commit to continue collaborating on a comprehensive approach to managing migration flows that guarantees fair and humane treatment of migrants." They also underscore the need to "combat racism and xenophobia in all their forms and commit to joining forces to achieve this goal." Mauritania and Spain share "the need to continue working together in the fight against migration-related criminal networks and welcome the progress made in recent years in dismantling these organizations, preventing irregular immigration, and ensuring the orderly management of migration flows. They pledge to maintain this commitment in the future to guarantee regional stability and protect the lives of thousands of people who embark on dangerous migration routes." Both countries also commit to adopting "a gender approach that takes into account the defense of the rights of women and girls in all areas of bilateral relations on migration" and to establishing a framework for bilateral cooperation on social security to promote practical exchanges of information and strengthen social protection for mobile workers on both sides. Likewise, Spain and Mauritania reaffirm their commitment to international migration multilateralism, "whose contribution they consider irreplaceable," and pledge to continue working actively within the European Union so that, in line with the strategic relations between the EU and Mauritania, as demonstrated during the joint visit of the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the President of the Spanish Government on February 8, 2024, "it receives the appropriate support commensurate with its key role in the region." In this regard, "both countries urge the European institutions and Member States to strengthen their political and financial commitment to Mauritania by developing a comprehensive and strategic agreement that increases institutional capacities, the provision of technical and human resources, and supports socioeconomic development projects." <h5><strong>Fishing, economic relations, and the Cervantes Institute</strong></h5> Furthermore, the text also advocates for jointly deepening economic and trade relations, fishing, transportation, the ecological transition, cooperation in security and defense, and collaboration in the judicial and criminal justice sectors, and underscores the importance of culture as a "tool for bringing peoples closer together." In addition, the declaration reflects the parties' desire to "advance mutual understanding, cultural and educational exchanges between their respective societies, and to strengthen support for learning Spanish." In this regard, as part of the RAN, José Manuel Albares inaugurated the facilities of the new extension of the Cervantes Institute in Nouakchott this Wednesday, which will promote the teaching of the Spanish language and culture in the African country. <h5><strong>Mauritania-Spain Business Meeting</strong></h5> At the end of the High-Level Meeting, Pedro Sánchez closed the first Mauritania-Spain Business Meeting in Nouakchott, where he was accompanied by President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani and which brought together representatives of more than 70 companies from both countries. During his speech, the President of the Government announced that, starting September 1, Spain will have its first economic and trade representative in Mauritania. He also emphasized that Spain is Mauritania's largest customer within the EU, and Mauritania, in turn, is one of Spain's main trading partners in sub-Saharan Africa. Pedro Sánchez called on Spanish companies to strengthen their presence in key sectors such as the energy transition, infrastructure, sustainable tourism, and the blue economy. He recalled that in February 2024, Spain launched an investment support package in Mauritania of up to €200 million, which includes loans for green projects, financing for feasibility studies, and risk coverage mechanisms. This initiative is in addition to other tools such as the Africa Advances Alliance and participation in the European Global Gateway program, with notable energy and digital infrastructure projects in the country.
