Rabat, Feb. 2 (BNA): Spain and Morocco will hold their first bilateral summit in eight years today, Thursday, as part of their efforts to strengthen economic relations and build on the diplomatic truce reached last year after differences over immigration and territory.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and 12 of his ministers will meet with their counterparts in Rabat to sign up to 20 agreements to boost trade and investment, including credit lines of up to 800 million euros ($873 million), bringing the two countries closer together. in non-immigration areas.
Bilateral trade rose to 17 billion euros in 2022, making Spain Morocco’s largest trading partner, Reuters reports.
Madrid is seeking to turn the page on strained relations with Rabat that have sparked regular diplomatic crises, the latest of which was the storming of 8,000 migrants into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta in North Africa in 2021 after Morocco relaxed its border controls.
The event was seen as a response to Madrid’s decision to allow Ibrahim Ghali, leader of the Polisario rebel front seeking to establish an independent state in Western Sahara, to enter Spain for medical treatment without informing Rabat.
Sanchez restored friendly relations with Rabat in March 2022 after reversing Spain’s four-decade-long former colonial policy on Western Sahara by backing Morocco’s proposal to create an autonomous region.
FKN