King Felipe VI insisted this Wednesday that Melilla "is Spain and Europe" and emphasized that both this autonomous city and Ceuta "deserve to feel more often" the closeness of all Spaniards, including his own. "The queen and I will not forget this visit, we leave wanting to return," he pointed out.
The monarch made these remarks at the Hotel Melilla Puerto, during the event that concluded his two-day official trip to Ceuta and Melilla, carried out two months after the massive influx of immigrants from Morocco that triggered a serious crisis in the autonomous city.
As he did the previous day in Ceuta, the head of state reiterated the Spanish identity of Melilla. "Although it may be obvious, it is important to reaffirm it: Melilla is Spain and Melilla is Europe," he defended.
He also recalled that "its border is the border of the Union, a unique border, that does not distinguish flanks or cardinal points, as it is based on a shared heritage of rights, freedoms, and civic responsibilities." In this regard, he reiterated that "any threat to the border of a member state is, therefore, a threat to the whole of the EU," as he had already expressed to his counterparts from France and Finland.
In his speech, Felipe VI appealed to the principles of the rule of law and human dignity, and urged to "not confuse these values with weakness," assuring that Spain is "prepared" to defend its values and freedoms.
The king also took stock of the two days in Ceuta and Melilla and recalled, as he mentioned on Tuesday, that he had this visit "pending" for "too long." He confessed that he was "moved" to walk the streets of Melilla and the welcome of its inhabitants, to whom he expressed his gratitude, extending it to the public servants of Melilla.
He described these days as "intense," but assured that he takes away an "unequivocal conclusion": "You deserve to feel more often --also through your Kings-- the embrace and closeness of all Spaniards." "Not despite living here, but precisely because of that," he added.
During his intervention, Felipe VI has also kept in mind the relations with Morocco. Just like in Ceuta, he emphasized that Madrid and Rabat must "build and preserve a relationship of good neighborliness," based on "trust, responsibility, and good faith." "I believe it is possible and desirable, it is worth working and advocating for it, and we must all commit to it," he claimed.
About 400 people attended the closing event of the visit, including institutional representatives and a large delegation from Melilla society.