Spain is not considering a change in its foreign policy towards Morocco following the mass arrival of thousands of migrants in Ceuta in late July, according to Spanish news outlet El Pais.
Citing Spanish government sources, El Pais said Madrid “has no plans to change its strategy or tone towards Rabat, particularly as thousands of migrants remain in Ceuta and are expected to return to Morocco.”
The sources defended Morocco’s response, saying, “there is no evidence that Rabat did anything wrong, other than allowing migrants to enter for a few hours to prevent even more deaths.”
They noted that once control was regained, “Moroccan authorities prevented thousands of additional entries, as they did again this weekend.”
The Spanish government sources emphasized that Morocco also collaborated in the rapid return of tens of thousands of migrants.
These comments come amid calls from some experts for a firmer stance towards Rabat over the crisis in Ceuta, which has also drawn criticism of Pedro Sánchez’s government, particularly as the large influx of migrants has reportedly put the city’s capacity under strain.
Ignacio Molina, from the Spanish think tank Elcano Royal Institute, said Spain should do everything possible to maintain good relations with Morocco, “but not the impossible.”
Spain’s Health Ministry has also rejected claims that Ceuta’s healthcare system has collapsed.
Health Minister Monica Garcia said 5,800 migrants had received medical care in the city over the past 15 days, adding that half of the hospital was occupied but that “the situation did not amount to a collapse of the health system.”
The minister also rejected associating migration with disease as unfair and xenophobic and called for safe spaces to ensure proper sanitary conditions for migrants.
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