Morocco Denounces EU Resolution on Migration Crisis between Rabat, Madrid

Morocco announced that the resolution adopted by the European Parliament does not change the political nature of the bilateral crisis between Morocco and Spain.

Moroccan Foreign Ministry issued a statement underlining that the attempts to “Europeanize” the crisis between Spain and Morocco are “futile.”

The ministry emphasized that the attempts to bring the crisis into the European Union will “in no way alter its purely bilateral nature, its root causes and Spain’s proven responsibility for its outbreak.”

“Far from contributing to the solution, it is part of a logic of short-sighted political escalation. This maneuver, which aims to bypass the debate on the underlying reasons for the crisis, is not fooling anyone.”

The European Parliament passed a resolution, tabled by Madrid, rejecting "Morocco's use of border control and migration, and unaccompanied minors in particular, as political pressure against Spain."

It also deplored "the participation of children, unaccompanied minors and families (in the crossings), putting their lives and safety in clear danger."

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs indicated that the resolution is out of step with Morocco's exemplary record of migration cooperation with the European Union.

“These are the very people who try to criticize Morocco in this area who actually benefit from the concrete and daily results of cooperation on the ground.”

In turn, the Moroccan House of Representatives condemned the European decision saying it contains many untruths.

It underlined that Morocco's accomplishments in the fight against illegal immigration are known and recognized and that the figures are there to prove it.

On the issue of unaccompanied minors, Morocco was at the forefront of this issue with several member states of the European Union concerned by the matter, asking for its resolution since 2018, said the House of Representatives.

King Mohammed VI reiterated, recently, his High Instructions on this topic to the Ministers of the Interior and of Foreign Affairs for the final settlement of the issue, knowing that the blockages are mainly due to the complexity of procedures at the level of the European countries concerned, according to the press release.

“It is obvious that this is a maneuver to divert the attention of a political crisis between Morocco and Spain, a futile attempt to Europeanize a bilateral crisis whose genesis is known and whose responsibilities are well defined.”

The Moroccan-Spanish crisis is linked to the attitude and actions of Spain on the issue of the Moroccan Sahara, “a sacred cause” for the Moroccan nation, for all its institutions, and for its lifeblood, said the House of Representatives.