The president of the PP and candidate for the Presidency of the Government, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, said this Monday that in Ceuta 15,000 people who entered irregularly through the border during the summer continue to be there. He criticized the Executive for not having carried out diplomatic efforts with Morocco to address this problem and has committed to act with "firmness" in the face of the migration crisis and in the relationship with the neighboring country.
"How is it possible that there are still 15,000 invaders in Ceuta and that the Government has been incapable of sitting down with the Moroccan authorities and managing this matter? Everything remains the same there," Feijóo stated during an interview on Telecinco, reported by Europa Press.
The leader of the 'populars' has highlighted the work of his party in the Community institutions and recalled that, thanks to that pressure, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, included in her speech on the state of the Union that attacking Ceuta was equivalent to attacking Europe and condemned "the invasion".
In this regard, he explained that officials from other European governments, such as Germany and Austria, conveyed to him their "surprise" that it was the PP that called for a declaration in defense of Spain's territorial integrity while Pedro Sánchez's Government did not consider that it was under threat. "It is the world turned upside down," he lamented.
Firmness with Morocco and return of migrants
Feijóo reiterated that he is willing to maintain relations of "good neighborliness and loyalty" with Morocco, but stressed that "firmness is a requirement for any President of the Government". "Morocco knows this," he stated, underlining that he has defended this position in all his conversations linked to the Maghreb country.
At the same time, he insisted on the importance of opening a diplomatic negotiation between Spain and Morocco to channel the situation in Ceuta and make possible the return of these people to their place of origin. At this point, he highlighted that Spain is the only member state that has not yet signed the European return regulation.
The PP candidate has also referred to a new emergency directive that the European Union is preparing to respond to scenarios in which immigration is used as a tool to destabilize a border or invade a territory. According to what he explained, in these cases the automatic return of adults and minors to their country of origin and the suspension of the right to asylum should be applied. "This is what we have to do, and this is our job," he maintained.
Recover international reputation
On the other hand, Feijóo has admitted that Spain is living through a period of "extraordinary difficulty" and has stated that the country has lost "enormous international reputation". Nevertheless, he has expressed confidence that that image can be rebuilt if, after the general elections of November 29, there is a change in the Executive.
In particular, he has defended that a Government backed by a broad majority in the Congress and the Senate "would make it possible to drive reforms and recover a foreign policy based on Spain's interests, instead of the particular interests of the Prime Minister".
Finally, the PP leader has advocated resuming dialogue in the Congress around Spain's international position, strengthening ties with traditional partners, and deploying a rigorous policy within the European Union. "The reputation we have lost we are going to win back again in months," he assured.