The Diplomat
The Autonomous City of Melilla yesterday described as a “mockery” the new announcement made by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, in which he assures that the customs of Ceuta and Melilla will open, but without giving a date, despite two and a half years having passed since the agreement with Morocco “after the historic change of direction by Pedro Sánchez in the position of the sovereignty of Western Sahara”.
In response to questions from journalists, the first vice-president of Melilla, Miguel Marín, stressed that, in the case of Melilla, “the blockage dates back to 1 August 2018, when the Moroccan government unilaterally decided to close the commercial customs”, which is why he considers the position of the PSOE-Sumar coalition government “a mockery”, reports Europa Press.
Marín criticised the fact that the Minister of Foreign Affairs has not provided a “specific date”, despite the time elapsed since the Spanish-Moroccan summit in April 2022 “after the change of position of the Spanish Executive on its former Sahrawi colony”.
The Melilla leader made these statements, after the Minister of Foreign Affairs stated last Thursday, in a statement to TVE’s 24-hour Channel, that the opening of customs is “a firm commitment that Morocco has reiterated on several occasions”. He added: “We were carrying out tests that, on our part, were completely conclusive. Therefore, it is not necessary to take further test steps for this. We are simply analysing the moment and we continue to talk with Morocco to try to open these customs in both Ceuta and Melilla.”
Three weeks after Sánchez’s change of heart in the Spanish Government’s position on the Sahara, supporting Morocco’s positions, the Maghreb country committed itself, at the Rabat summit on 7 April 2022, to follow a roadmap that included the reopening of the commercial customs in Melilla and the opening of the Ceuta customs. However, that has not happened, despite the fact that Pedro Sánchez’s Executive put a date on the table, specifically January 2023.
Given this situation, the First Vice President of Melilla yesterday expressed his “frustration” and stated that “after more than six years waiting for the reopening of the customs”, the minister’s statements sound like “a real joke”.
The Minister of Economy, Trade, Technological Innovation, Tourism and Development also pointed out that it is “unacceptable” to continue talking about the opening of commercial customs without concrete results.
Miguel Marín insisted that “if there was political will”, the commercial customs “would have been opened immediately”, after Morocco’s decision to close the customs in 2018. He added that, if there was such will, “the entry of goods to Morocco from Melilla would have been allowed under the traveller regime, something that is currently not being allowed”, specifically since May 2022, the date on which the borders were reopened after the Covid-19 crisis.
The vice president declared that “it is illegal” to prevent the transit of goods under the traveller regime between two neighbouring countries, and said that the situation has generated a “climate of discontent” among the people of Melilla, “who feel ignored by the authorities”.
