The president of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, has reiterated that the sovereignty of Ceuta and Melilla "has never been the subject of debate" within the framework of bilateral relations with Morocco, after being asked about the recent statements by members of the Moroccan Executive who are calling for those cities.
In an interview on the 'Memorias de Pez' podcast by the divulgator Borja Fernández, broadcast this Sunday, Sánchez emphasized that the Spanish Executive has been "very clear at all times about the national sovereignty of Ceuta and Melilla".
The head of the Executive has defended that the link with Rabat must be based on "respect, shared prosperity" and "loyal cooperation", within the framework of a "good-neighbor policy" whose "red line" is national sovereignty and territorial integrity. As he has stressed, in his contacts with the neighboring country Spain "has never questioned" that limit.
When asked about the causes of the mass entry of migrants into Ceuta, Sánchez pointed out that there is "a lot of speculation, a lot of conjecture" and recalled that the episode is being examined by the Audiencia Nacional. He added that the Government continues to investigate the causes from the standpoint of national security and that, from his responsibility, it cannot rely on "assumptions" to redefine the relationship with Morocco.
In this context, he mentioned factors such as the strong inequality on both sides of the border; a "spurious use", of which he pointed out that "it is not known on whose part", of the ruling of the Supreme Court on repatriations at the border, which, in his view, favored the arrival of migrants; and the unknown of whether any political purpose existed. He warned that, without the appropriate collaboration on the other side of the fence, it is "much more complex" to manage that crossing.
IMPROVING SECURITY AND RECOVERING "FULL NORMALITY"
Sánchez indicated that, after nine out of every ten people who accessed Ceuta on July 30 and 31 left, since the beginning of August 15,000 migrants have returned voluntarily, 13,000 of whom did so as of August 20, the date on which the reception system was expanded. In his view, these figures "back the management" of the Government, although he has admitted that it is necessary to reinforce security and recover "full normality".
The president has also pointed out that the crisis in Ceuta forces a reflection which, as he has said, had not been addressed in the last 45 years: how to “further Europeanize Ceuta and Melilla” so that, in the community institutions, it is assumed that they constitute the land border in Africa “not only of Spain but also of Europe.”
Along these lines, he has proposed analyzing with the authorities of both cities whether they want to integrate into the customs union, an issue that “was left pending from the very beginning of democracy,” as he has recalled.
On the other hand, in relation to Spain’s shift on Western Sahara, Sánchez has rejected that a “transaction” has taken place regarding this territory on the part of the Spanish state and has spoken of a “reconsideration” of a debate blocked for decades and of a “shared reflection” by numerous countries on whether “an autonomy solution for Western Sahara within Morocco” can be “the most feasible solution.”