{"id":2769,"date":"2025-04-17T20:08:11","date_gmt":"2025-04-17T20:08:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/diplomatique.ma\/en\/?p=2769"},"modified":"2025-04-17T21:29:43","modified_gmt":"2025-04-17T21:29:43","slug":"moroccan-spanish-relations-from-strong-alliance-to-troubling-calculations-who-is-not-happy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/diplomatique.ma\/en\/moroccan-spanish-relations-from-strong-alliance-to-troubling-calculations-who-is-not-happy\/","title":{"rendered":"Moroccan-Spanish Relations: From Strong Alliance to Troubling Calculations&#8230; Who Is Not Happy?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"\" style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"4810\" data-end=\"5260\">Under a strong spotlight of political and diplomatic trust, Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita stated that Moroccan-Spanish relations are going through \u201ctheir best phase ever.\u201d This statement is not merely praise of a new political reality, but also an indication of broader strategic shifts impacting regional and even European balances.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">MFA Nasser Bourita held talks, today in Madrid, with his Spanish counterpart, Mr. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/jmalbares?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@jmalbares<\/a>, who indicated that Spain reaffirms that the autonomy initiative is \u201cthe most serious, realistic and credible basis for the resolution\u201d of the regional dispute over the Moroccan Sahara <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Wlt8aw16is\">pic.twitter.com\/Wlt8aw16is<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Moroccan Diplomacy \ud83c\uddf2\ud83c\udde6 (@Marocdiplo_EN) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Marocdiplo_EN\/status\/1912834841315246373?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 17, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"4810\" data-end=\"5260\">But <strong data-start=\"5161\" data-end=\"5210\">are all parties really happy with this phase?<\/strong> And is there no cost to this \u201cadvanced alliance\u201d?<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"\" style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"5267\" data-end=\"5326\">From the 2021 Break to the 2024 Alliance: What Changed?<\/h3>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"5328\" data-end=\"5689\">Since the April 2022 meeting between King Mohammed VI and Spanish PM Pedro S\u00e1nchez, Moroccan-Spanish relations have taken an unprecedented strategic turn.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"5328\" data-end=\"5689\">After a serious diplomatic crisis due to Spain\u2019s hosting of the Polisario leader under a false identity, the two countries have moved into a phase of intense cooperation\u2014security, economic, and political.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"5691\" data-end=\"5851\"><strong data-start=\"5691\" data-end=\"5718\">But the key question is<\/strong>:<br data-start=\"5719\" data-end=\"5722\" \/>Was this transformation a product of mutual political conviction or a geopolitical necessity driven by shifting global realities?<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"\" style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"5858\" data-end=\"5913\">Multi-dimensional Partnership or Mutual Dependency?<\/h3>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"5915\" data-end=\"6182\">According to Bourita, over 210 illegal migration networks were dismantled in a single year, in addition to joint security operations praised as a regional and international model.<br data-start=\"6094\" data-end=\"6097\" \/>Also, Spain has become Morocco\u2019s top economic partner, and vice versa outside the EU.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"6184\" data-end=\"6481\"><strong data-start=\"6184\" data-end=\"6209\">But is it fair to ask<\/strong>:<br data-start=\"6210\" data-end=\"6213\" \/>Do these figures truly reflect a balanced partnership? Or is there growing dependency from one side?<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"6184\" data-end=\"6481\">How does Morocco manage this proximity while maintaining strategic relations with Paris and Berlin?<br data-start=\"6415\" data-end=\"6418\" \/>And will Spain continue on this path if its government changes?<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"\" style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"6488\" data-end=\"6548\">Western Sahara: Spanish Support or European Realignment?<\/h3>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"6550\" data-end=\"6764\">Bourita emphasized Morocco\u2019s autonomy plan as the \u201conly serious and credible basis for a solution,\u201d asserting that Spain\u2019s support is not a breach of international consensus, but a reflection of a new global trend.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"6766\" data-end=\"7045\">Still, the question remains:<br data-start=\"6794\" data-end=\"6797\" \/><strong data-start=\"6797\" data-end=\"6886\">Has Spain really shifted its position, or is it merely adjusting to avoid new crises?<\/strong><br data-start=\"6886\" data-end=\"6889\" \/>The <strong data-start=\"6893\" data-end=\"6928\">uncertainty in Germany\u2019s stance<\/strong>, and <strong data-start=\"6934\" data-end=\"6963\">France\u2019s current coldness<\/strong> raise questions: Are we witnessing a deep EU policy shift\u2014or internal dissonance?<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"\" style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"7052\" data-end=\"7081\">Who Are the Unhappy Ones?<\/h3>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"7083\" data-end=\"7187\">Bourita hinted that \u201cnot everyone is happy with the level reached.\u201d This opens multiple interpretations:<\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"7189\" data-end=\"7570\">\n<li class=\"\" data-start=\"7189\" data-end=\"7300\">\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"7191\" data-end=\"7300\"><strong data-start=\"7191\" data-end=\"7228\">Is Algeria the most visibly upset<\/strong>, seeing this alliance as a direct threat to its position on the Sahara?<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"\" data-start=\"7301\" data-end=\"7438\">\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"7303\" data-end=\"7438\">Are there <strong data-start=\"7313\" data-end=\"7341\">internal Spanish critics<\/strong>, especially from the radical left or nationalist factions, who believe Madrid conceded too much?<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"\" data-start=\"7439\" data-end=\"7570\">\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"7441\" data-end=\"7570\">And in <strong data-start=\"7448\" data-end=\"7460\">Brussels<\/strong>, are some wary of Morocco rising as an alternative to France\u2019s dominant role in the Mediterranean and Africa?<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 class=\"\" style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"7577\" data-end=\"7624\">Toward a New South-North Partnership Model?<\/h3>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"7626\" data-end=\"7878\">This evolving Moroccan-Spanish model may signal a new paradigm in Mediterranean cooperation.<br data-start=\"7718\" data-end=\"7721\" \/>If successful, it could serve as a reference for <strong data-start=\"7770\" data-end=\"7852\">balanced South-North relations based on shared security and economic interests<\/strong>, not charity or hegemony.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"7880\" data-end=\"8008\">But this hinges on navigating <strong data-start=\"7910\" data-end=\"7937\">geopolitical resistance<\/strong> from actors unwilling to embrace a new African-European power dynamic.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"\" style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"8015\" data-end=\"8040\">Analytical Conclusion<\/h3>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"8042\" data-end=\"8350\">What we are witnessing is not a simple diplomatic d\u00e9tente but a <strong data-start=\"8106\" data-end=\"8135\">structural transformation<\/strong> redefining equal relations between an ambitious African state and a pragmatic European one.<br data-start=\"8227\" data-end=\"8230\" \/>The future of this dynamic depends on its ability to go beyond short-term interests\u2014and weather coming political storms.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Under a strong spotlight of political and diplomatic trust, Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita stated that Moroccan-Spanish relations are going through \u201ctheir best phase ever.\u201d This statement is not merely praise of a new political reality, but also an indication of broader strategic shifts impacting regional and even European balances. MFA Nasser Bourita held talks, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2772,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39,42,37,76],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-2769","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-africa","8":"category-europe-russia","9":"category-moroccan-diplomacy","10":"category-the-maghreb"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/diplomatique.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2769","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/diplomatique.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/diplomatique.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diplomatique.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diplomatique.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2769"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/diplomatique.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2769\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2771,"href":"https:\/\/diplomatique.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2769\/revisions\/2771"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diplomatique.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2772"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/diplomatique.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2769"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diplomatique.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2769"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diplomatique.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2769"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}