Spain says Morocco’s oil exploration near Sahara outside its jurisdiction

Spain’s Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares said Tuesday that Morocco’s oil exploration activities off the coast of the Moroccan Sahara, in partnership with Israel, fall outside Spain’s territorial and jurisdictional waters.

“These matters should be resolved under international law, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and through mutual agreement with full respect for international law,” Albares told lawmakers.

His comments came in response to a parliamentary question from Senator Pedro Manuel Sanginés of the Canary Islands Coalition, who raised concerns over Morocco’s decision to grant oil exploration rights to the Israeli company NewMed Energy in waters near the Sahara, approximately 200 kilometers (124 miles) from the Canary Islands.

Albares emphasized that Spain and Morocco have a working group focused on defining maritime boundaries and said the Spanish government is closely monitoring such exploration licenses.

While acknowledging that Spain has no jurisdiction over the area, Sanginés criticized the Spanish government’s stance, accusing Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez of unilaterally shifting Spain’s position on the Moroccan Sahara.

Moroccan authorities recently awarded oil and gas exploration rights to NewMed Energy, owned by Israeli businessman Yossi Abu, and Adarco, led by Moroccan-Jewish entrepreneur Yariv Elbaz. Both companies hold a 37.5% stake in the project, while Morocco’s National Office for Hydrocarbons and Mines retains the remaining 25%.

Spain has historically played a diplomatic role in the Moroccan Sahara, a territory for which the Polisario Front, backed by Algeria, seeks secession.

The issue has been a source of tension between Spain and Morocco, particularly after Madrid shifted its stance in 2022 to support Morocco’s autonomy plan for the region.