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Spain’s Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares reiterated on Friday Spain’s stance on the Western Sahara issue, following the recent ruling by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) that challenges the legality of trade and fisheries agreements between the European Union and Morocco.
In a statement before the Spanish Foreign Affairs Committee of the Congress today, Albares said: “Our position remains that of April 7. The Spanish-Moroccan declaration is known, and more and more European countries and others around the world are supporting it.”
He highlighted growing international support for Morocco’s autonomy plan, with Denmark recently joining the increasingly pro-Morocco fray on the Western Sahara question.
He also referenced French President Emmanuel Macron’s letter to King Mohammed VI conveying Paris’s support for Moroccan sovereignty over the Western Sahara region, which he said echoes the April 7 declaration.
Albares affirmed Spain’s unwavering position, saying that “this is where Spain stands, and where we will continue to be.”
He also defended the “strategic partnership” with Morocco, highlighting its significance for both parties and the benefits it has brought to the fishing and agricultural sectors.
Albares affirmed Spain’s commitment to maintaining a stable relationship with Morocco, stating that the Spanish government would continue to work with the European Union and Morocco to preserve and further develop this privileged relationship.
The top Spanish diplomat’s remarks come in the wake of the EU’s Court ruling that trade agreements between the EU and Morocco, including products from Western Sahara, “violated” the region’s “right to self-determination.”
The court said it found that the agreements were made without properly consulting the population of Western Sahara, suggesting that products such as tomatoes and melons from the region should be distinctly labeled to reflect their origin.
In response to the ruling, Morocco’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement reiterating the country’s “consistent position that it will not agree to any agreement or legal instrument that does not respect its territorial integrity and national unity.”
It added that the “content of this decision contains obvious legal errors and suspicious factual mistakes.”
The ministry also referenced a UK High Court ruling, which it described as more impartial and legally sound, rejecting a similar case brought by a pro-Polisario NGO against a Morocco-UK trade agreement.
Prior to the ruling, Spanish Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Minister Luis Planas said on Thursday his country remains committed to strengthening ties with Morocco regardless of the content of ECJ ruling.
“If anyone believes that a ruling by the Court of Justice is going to call into question the stability of Morocco’s relationship with Spain or with the European Union, they are mistaken,” Planas told reporters.
In 2021, the ECJ annulled the 2019 fisheries agreement between the EU and Morocco, a decision that was also based on the inclusion of Western Sahara products.
Despite these rulings, both Spain and Morocco have remained united, with Spain emphasizing the strategic importance of its partnership with Morocco. Spain’s agricultural and fishing sectors rely heavily on these agreements, and Spanish officials have consistently voiced their opposition to the court’s interference.
Source: cbc
