The comings and goings of the Madrid-Rabat relationship

MadridThe diplomatic relationship between the Spanish State and Morocco has been marked by a series of ups and downs. That is to say, by moments of tension that have led to a clash between the two countries, even for months. It is a Pandora's box that the serious migratory crisis in Ceuta has once again brought to the table and that, although the Spanish government does not want to open – at Moncloa they maintain that it is a "reliable partner" –; other voices are fully entering it. Not going any further, Sumar. The minority partner of the coalition government has asked the United Nations to "examine" Morocco's responsibility in the migratory crisis and some of its members have openly pointed to a geopolitical dimension: "This is not a migratory crisis, but political decisions," stated the deputy in Congress, Tesh Sidi.

What have been some of the key moments in the Rabat-Madrid relationship?

50 years of the Green March

In 2025, it will be 50 years since the Green March of 1975; Morocco's attempt to occupy Western Sahara. That march was promoted by the monarchy of Hassan II at a time of strong social protest against him. Thousands of Moroccans, pushed by the same monarchy, moved to the border that delimited Morocco with Western Sahara, events harshly criticized by the United Nations, which had agreed with the Franco regime to hold a referendum to begin a decolonization process. In fact, later the UN reprimanded the State for failing to fulfill its responsibility.

Since then, Morocco occupies de facto the territory without legal basis, while the historical claim of the Sahrawis continues, supported by the United Nations, to hold a self-determination referendum.

El Perejil

Under the government of José María Aznar (PP), the crisis of the Perejil Islet occurred. This islet has been Spanish since 1668 and in 2002 a group of Moroccan gendarmes invaded it, provoking one of the worst diplomatic conflicts ever experienced between Morocco and Spain. José María Aznar's government concluded the episode with a military action that ended with the hoisting of the Spanish flag, six days after the occupation. However, the United States also intervened, acting as mediators.

The first and only visit of the Royal House

Another key moment was the first and only visit of the Spanish Royal Family to Ceuta and Melilla. In 2007, under the presidency of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero (PSOE), Juan Carlos I traveled to the two autonomous cities, which angered King Mohammed VI – Morocco has always claimed sovereignty over these territories – who warned of "consequences". The Spanish ambassador to Morocco was summoned for consultations until the crisis was resolved.

Raft crisis in Cadiz

Another crisis, also marked by migration, occurred in August 2014. The Minister of the Interior, Jorge Fernández Díaz (PP), urgently traveled to Tetouan to put a "brake" on irregular immigration from Morocco to Spain. Specifically, he made the trip after more than 1,400 people arrived on rafts on the coasts of Cadiz in two weeks. The surge constituted a migratory crisis that the government later declared closed, without any criticism of the Moroccan authorities. Fernández Díaz himself recounted in his memoirs that the events occurred as a consequence of Mohamed VI's discontent after being mistakenly intercepted by the Civil Guard.

A "new era"

Finally, the last major diplomatic crisis with Morocco was in 2021 due to Spain's reception of Brahim Ghali, head of the Polisario Front, via a medicalized plane. That decision triggered, precisely, a migratory crisis in Ceuta that same year – at the time, more than 10,000 people crossed the border in a few hours. The clash was considered resolved in 2022 when the two countries sealed an agreement for a "new stage" that included, once again, a "control" of irregular immigration. But Pedro Sánchez also took on the decision to support the Moroccan plan on Western Sahara, thus changing Spain's historical position. Since then, the relationship has been fruitful: Sánchez traveled to Morocco again in 2023 on vacation with his family and also in 2024. In December of last year, relations were "excellent," indicated in Moncloa.