In a bid to ease diplomatic tensions centered on Morocco’s disputed region of Western Sahara, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is set to meet Moroccan King Mohammed VI during a two-day visit to Rabat.
While Thursday’s meeting is regarded by the Spanish government as an opportunity to open a “new stage” in ties with Morocco based on “mutual respect”, it is also seen as a way to discuss “restraint from any unilateral action to honor the importance of all that we share and to avoid future crises.”
Last April, relations between the two countries were strained when Morocco voiced its anger toward Spain, which allowed the leader of the pro-independence movement for Western Sahara to receive medical treatment for COVID-19 at a Spanish hospital.
Border controls around Spain’s North Africa enclave of Ceuta were subsequently loosened by Morocco, provoking the unauthorized crossing of thousands of young Moroccans and migrants from other African countries.
When Sanchez took the surprising decision to alter Spain’s longstanding position on Western Sahara, relations between the two countries improved.
In a letter to King Mohammed, Sanchez backed Morocco’s plan to give more autonomy to Western Sahara as long as it remains unquestionably under Moroccan grip.
