The Minister of Health, Mónica García, has defended that the central Government has indeed been involved in the management of the migratory crisis in Ceuta, thus responding to the president of the autonomous city, Juan Vivas. He had denounced the "passivity" of the Executive and had asked to "analyze and investigate" the possible responsibilities of Morocco in what happened.
García, who this Sunday held a meeting with Vivas that she described as "very cordial," has responded to the criticisms of the Ceuta leader regarding the alleged absence of the Government, emphasizing the continuous presence of members of the Executive in the city. "If he said that it hurts him that there has been no participation from the Government of Spain, it also hurts me to arrive 17 days later and that there are no spaces enabled," she declared on 'TVE' in statements collected by Europa Press.
In that line, the minister has emphasized that she is the "seventh minister" to travel to the autonomous city in the context of this crisis, in addition to the visit of the Prime Minister himself, and has highlighted that a specific crisis cabinet has been created to monitor the situation on the ground.
At the same time, García has questioned the response of the Ceuta Executive, comparing it to the migratory crisis of 2021, when, as she recalled, "there was indeed an agile response from the autonomous city" through the provision of facilities to accommodate migrants.
"It also hurts me that the city of Ceuta or the Government of Ceuta has not been agile enough for these images to have been, well, in some way minimized," added the Minister of Health, pointing directly to local management.
Asked why this time there has not been the same action as in 2021, the minister avoided giving a concrete explanation and concluded: "You would have to ask Mr. Vivas."
Calls to clarify Morocco's responsibilities
At another moment, García responded to Vivas's insinuation that the central Government would be avoiding a firm reaction to "not upset" Morocco and preserve "pseudo good relations" with the neighboring country. In the face of that accusation, the minister defended the need to clarify the "responsibilities" of Morocco in the development of the crisis.
"To an absolutely exceptional humanitarian crisis, with a geopolitical impact in this case also quite important, then we will have to analyze, investigate and see what the repercussions are, what the responsibilities are, in this case of the Government of Morocco," he has stated.
García has insisted that human rights must be placed "above all" and, specifically, "above any diplomatic relationship." At the same time, he has clarified that the scenario is more complex than simply censoring the neighboring country or exclusively attributing the blame for what happened to it. Nevertheless, he has reiterated that Morocco has responsibility "by action or omission" in the current migratory crisis affecting Ceuta.