Morocco hailed Spain's " constructive commitments
" on the subject of Western Sahara on Friday March 18
, after Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez sent a message to King Mohammed VI addressing this issue, at the heart of a diplomatic crisis between the two countries.
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"
Morocco highly appreciates Spain's positive positions and constructive commitments regarding the Moroccan Sahara
," the Moroccan Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
This press release was published after the Moroccan royal cabinet reported a message from Pedro Sanchez to King Mohammed VI in which he “
recognizes the importance of the Sahara issue for Morocco
”.
As such, "
Spain considers the Moroccan autonomy initiative, presented in 2007, as the most serious, realistic and credible basis for the resolution of the dispute
" of Western Sahara, writes Pedro Sanchez, quoted by the royal cabinet in a press release.
The conflict in Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony considered a "
non-self-governing territory
" by the UN, has for decades opposed Morocco to the Sahrawi separatists of the Polisario Front, supported by Algiers.
Rabat, which controls nearly 80% of this territory, is proposing an autonomy plan under its sovereignty while the Polisario is calling for a referendum.
The letter from the Spanish Prime Minister should pave the way for reconciliation between the two neighboring countries, whose diplomatic relations have been paralyzed for nearly a year.
“
The terms of this message make it possible to envisage a clear and ambitious roadmap
for a new partnership, affirms the Ministry of Foreign Affairs which also announces the visit to Rabat by the end of the month of the head of Spanish diplomacy José Manuel Albares.
The major diplomatic quarrel between Madrid and Rabat was caused in April 2021 by the reception in Spain, to be treated there for Covid-19, of the leader of the Polisario Front, Brahim Ghali, sworn enemy of Rabat.
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It resulted last May in the massive arrival of migrants of Moroccan origin in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, on the northern coast of Morocco, taking advantage of a relaxation of border surveillance on the Moroccan side.
While tensions have since eased, they have not ended so far.
Called back for consultations in May, Morocco's ambassador to Spain has still not returned to Madrid.