King Felipe VI received on the afternoon of this Thursday at the Palace of Marivent, in Palma, the president of the Autonomous City of Ceuta, Juan Jesús Vivas, with the aim of analyzing the crisis triggered by the entry of more than 70,000 migrants from Morocco into Ceuta territory.
Vivas, who traveled expressly to the Balearic capital for this meeting, arrived at the venue around 5:50 PM, a few minutes later than initially scheduled in the agenda.
The monarch welcomed him at the doors of the residence, where both exchanged a protocol greeting, a brief comment, and posed for the media before heading inside the summer complex to hold the meeting.
Last Saturday, the Royal House made it public that Felipe VI has followed with "great concern and indignation" the events recorded in Ceuta and, to a lesser extent, in Melilla.
In that context, the King emphasized that "the State must ensure its security and prevent these events, which have also resulted in a sad and tragic loss of dozens of lives, from happening again."
From La Zarzuela, they added that the head of State "believes it necessary to adopt all those measures that convey in a united, clear, and decisive manner" to the population of both cities "the support and affection of the rest of Spain."
In recent days, the King has contacted both the president of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, and the leader of the PP, Alberto Núñez Feijóo. He has also spoken with Vivas and with the president of Melilla, Juan José Imbroda, whom he called between Thursday and Friday of the previous week to convey "words of encouragement and firmness."
Meeting with Prohens in Palma
Coinciding with his trip to Palma, Vivas also held a courtesy institutional meeting with the president of the Balearic Govern, Marga Prohens, at the Consolat de Mar.
According to the regional government in a statement, the Ceuta leader has presented to Prohens the "serious situation" that the autonomous city continues to experience.
Vivas detailed that, a week after the most critical episodes, Ceuta is still far from recovering normalcy and faces serious difficulties in managing the consequences arising from this migratory crisis.
Likewise, he indicated that the population of Ceuta is facing these events with "deep concern and uncertainty" and has listed the actions promoted by the Autonomous City to respond to the emergency.
The Ceuta president has also insisted on the urgency of promoting structural solutions and strengthening the protection devices at the border, while thanking the head of the Balearic Executive for her "support and solidarity in these difficult times."
For her part, Prohens has expressed to Vivas her concern about circumstances of "extraordinary complexity" and has acknowledged the work carried out by both the institutions and the Ceuta society in the current situation.