The Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation confirmed that it “will not concede to Morocco the management of airspace over the Sahara”, after talks about Morocco’s intention to open the file of airspace management over the Sahara with Madrid.
The Spanish Foreign Ministry’s clarification came in a parliamentary session, in the context of a question submitted by the Popular Party.
Morocco had planned to begin discussions over control of the Sahara airspace during the high-level meeting with Spain planned next January.
The response of the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs indicated that “the high-level meeting will be held in the last week of January or the first week of February 2023 by Jose Manuel Albares, Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, and his Moroccan counterpart, Nasser Bourita.”
And the Spanish Foreign Ministry stressed that “this meeting will crystallize the new phase of bilateral relations that began after the adoption of the joint declaration.”
The Spanish response confirmed that Morocco reports all military flights it makes in the airspace of the Sahara, as “the Moroccan authorities have duly informed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the European Union.”
The Spanish Foreign Affairs reported that “the talks with Morocco on the matter began on the joint declaration issued on April 7,” noting that the aforementioned talks “are limited exclusively to airspace management and coordination between the two parties to achieve greater security in communications.”
The planes that fly over the Sahara, one of the most widespread airlines that cover the routes between Europe and South America, are subject to the management and control of the Spanish and Mauritanian air navigation authorities; However, this control also includes Moroccan military aircraft that carry out operations in the region.
According to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), every commercial or military aircraft passing through this area must report to the air traffic control center located at Jandu airport, where the military and Spanish aviation also operate.
add your comment
Terms of publication : Not to offend the writer, people, sacred things, or attack religions or the divine self, and refrain from racist incitement and insults.