The head of Public Works and Water of Morocco, Nizar Baraka, reiterated this Thursday the position of Rabat regarding Ceuta, emphasizing that, although Spain is an "essential partner," the neighboring country "will not retreat a single inch of its national territory."
During a political event of the Istiqlal party, of which he is the secretary general, Baraka referred to the recent episode experienced in the autonomous city. "What should we say to our neighbor Spain after what happened in Ceuta? We have been told that they consider their national security has been compromised," he stated before the attendees.
The minister insisted that "we say this with complete frankness: Spain is an essential partner for us, but we will not retreat a single inch of our national territory," in a context of diplomatic tension following the massive crossing of migrants recorded on July 30. These words come at a time when the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, has set as "red lines" in the relationship with Rabat the territorial integrity of Spain and the national sovereignty of Ceuta and Melilla.
In a monographic session in the Congress of Deputies, Sánchez defended the "good neighbor policy with Morocco" and emphasized that there are aspects that Spain will "always defend" and that are "perfectly legitimate," explicitly citing the situation of Ceuta and Melilla.
The president of the Executive also called for a "prudent" approach in the ties with the neighboring country following the border incident in July. In this context, he revealed that Spain summoned the Moroccan ambassador, Karima Benyaich, on August 21, a diplomatic move that had not been made public until then and that has been criticized both by his parliamentary partners and by the opposition.
In parallel, in recent weeks, there have been multiple statements from Moroccan officials regarding territorial claims related to the two Spanish autonomous cities. The most direct pronouncement was from the Minister of Religious Affairs, Ahmed Tufiq, who, in the presence of Mohamed VI, referred to the "liberation" of Ceuta and Melilla, thus reinforcing the message sent from Rabat.