The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Spain, Jose Manuel Albares, stated that “there have never been and never will be any talks with Morocco” regarding the sovereignty of Ceuta and Melilla.
He made this statement during a speech in the Foreign Affairs Commission in Congress, emphasizing that Spain has “through all available diplomatic channels” rejected statements from Morocco, which it considers to contradict the territorial integrity of Spain.
Albares emphasized that the “stability and prosperity” of both North African cities are an “absolute priority”, adding that “it will always be so”. He also noted that Ceuta and Melilla are part of Spain and the European Union, and their inhabitants are Spanish and European “not only by law but also by heart and soul. And it will always be so”.
At the same time, the minister emphasized the need to maintain dialogue with Rabat, as Morocco is a neighboring country to these autonomous cities. He called diplomacy with the neighboring country “indispensable” for resolving situations such as the migration crisis in Ceuta at the end of July.
“I immediately called my Moroccan counterpart for three reasons,” Albares explained. He wanted to inform that illegal migrants are being returned, to strengthen the border to stop the flow, and to prevent similar events on August 15 or in the future. He also noted that many present in the Commission were guided by “party and electoral interests,” while he “speaks in the interests of Spain, Ceuta, and Melilla”.
Crisis provoked by disinformation
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, like most ministers of the government, called the “immediate catalyst” of the mass arrival of migrants on July 30 and 31 the disinformation spread through social networks. It distorted the decision of the Supreme Court regarding entry by swimming and received “unusual spread”. The minister pointed to “actors in the networks, very interested in spreading polarization” on the day of the mass entry.
Albares noted that Ceuta and Melilla are the only land borders between Europe and Africa, as well as “the most unequal borders in the world,” pointing to economic inequality. He also emphasized the geographical position of Spain in the face of security problems and instability on the African continent, calling it the only country in the EU that directly borders countries of the Sahel through the Canary Islands, and placing this region as the “epicenter of terrorism and instability”.
Albares insisted that the incident arose based on a “rumor” that gained “unusual viral spread” among groups of migrants. He also accused the “reactionary international” of “contributing” to the migration crisis to “destabilize Spain and Europe”. “Ultra-conservative mega-influencers turned the images into an example of ‘an invasion consisting of men of conscription age,’ ignoring women, girls, and those who died,” he added.
According to him, the messages spread subsequently from Russia and the USA (he mentioned Elon Musk) had “the same dual purpose: to weaken the Spanish and divide Europe”. In his opinion, what “starts as a migration crisis provoked by fakes was also a battle of ultra-conservative and reactionary narratives”. The minister cited as an example the activity on X, where, according to his data, about 40% of the publications about Ceuta were in English and came from the United States. In his opinion, a significant part of these messages did not aim to inform but “to impose a narrative of security collapse”.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs warned about the consequences of disinformation: “Lies and rumors kill, kill people, we have seen it, kill coexistence, if we do not confront them, and kill democracy”. In contrast, he attributed part of the failure of the new migration wave on August 15 to the government’s ability to counter false messages with “immediate and truthful information”. “Hate spreaders tried to obtain their own, ideological, and party benefit at the expense of the inhabitants of Ceuta,” he noted, calling for “unity of all political forces and society, our coexistence is at stake”.
Criticism of Italy’s and Denmark’s reaction
Finally, Albares criticized the decision of Italy to introduce controls for travelers from Spain after the crisis, calling it an “arbitrary” measure that is an “unjustified and unfounded offense to the dignity of the Spanish”. He called for European solidarity and warned that the countries of the south face a “common challenge” in the field of immigration.
The minister accused the Italian government of acting for internal political electoral motives, as they knew that the dual filter system in Ceuta and Melilla “fully guarantees the Schengen area”. “Europe is solidarity, without it there is no Europe, that is what Italy and Denmark must understand,” he added, before calling for unity, especially among the countries of the south that face a “common challenge” with immigration.
Source: 20minutos
