• Diplomacy: Concern in the Government before the new offensive of Morocco to expand its territorial waters
  • Profile.Arancha González Laya, a trade expert for the new economic diplomacy

Spain will reject any unilateral change of maritime borders with Morocco if there is no agreement between the two countries before. According to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Arancha González Laya, the Alawi government agrees on this approach, despite the fact that the Moroccan Parliament yesterday approved two bills that propose expanding its territorial waters.

The head of Foreign Affairs will make this Friday its first bilateral visit precisely to Morocco. Just the week that the House of Representatives has approved these projects. In his meeting with the Moroccan Foreign Minister, González Laya will address the dispute that has erupted this week about the new delimitation of Moroccan territorial waters in its limits with the Canary Islands , which are yet to be defined.

Laya said on Twitter yesterday that the two countries are "in agreement that the delimitation of our maritime spaces can not be done unilaterally, but by mutual agreement between the parties." And always "in accordance with current international legislation," he added.

The minister also wrote that the Moroccan Government itself has confirmed in recent weeks that "there will be no policies of consummated facts, nor unilateral actions." This was reiterated yesterday by the Moroccan minister in the House of Representatives of the neighboring country.

As sources from the Ministry explain, the two neighboring countries have yet to delimit all their maritime spaces. In addition, they add that both states agree that "in terms of maritime delimitation, the completed facts, or unilateral situations of fact, do not fit, as the agreement between the two governs."

Foreign Concern

Morocco, the powerful neighbor of the South, always wants to remind Spain of its strategic importance and the threat that a deterioration of bilateral relations may entail. After the election of a new Government with full powers, the Alawi kingdom has resumed the processing of two bills that extend the Moroccan territorial waters, but do not yet delimit them.

This movement has generated concern in the Foreign Ministry about a possible worsening of relations, but in Madrid they hope to redirect it in the coming days. Almost a year ago of the state visit that the Kings made to Morocco. Since then, when numerous bilateral agreements were signed, the relationship has been excellent between both countries.

Morocco has stopped illegal immigration - after opening the door during the beginning of Pedro Sánchez's first term - and has maintained close anti-terrorism cooperation. However, it always bets to loosen on the one hand and press on the other in its relationship with Spain to obtain counterparts, as additional resources of the European Union to curb immigration. Since August 2018, for example, the Melilla border is closed and the African government refuses to resolve this dispute. Now, he threatens to open another one, although Spain is confident that everything will remain a threat.

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