Albares attributes the dismantling of six criminal and terrorist networks in 18 months to the collaboration with Morocco

MADRID, 21 Feb. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, José Manuel Albares, has vindicated the tangible results that the new stage in the relationship with Morocco is bringing, citing among them the dismantling of six criminal and terrorist networks in the last 18 months.

Albares has taken advantage of his appearance before the Foreign Affairs Commission of Congress to value the new relationship with the Alaouite kingdom and the "solid pillars" on which, according to him, it is based and which were fixed in the agreed 'road map' following the visit of the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, to Rabat on April 7.

According to the minister, the "concrete results" in which this roadmap is materializing are already providing "benefits" to the citizens of Ceuta and Melilla as well as those of the Canary Islands and Andalusia.

In this sense, it has once again affected the decrease in irregular immigration, with 69% fewer arrivals in January compared to the same month of 2022 to the Andalusian coasts and 82% fewer in the case of the Canary Islands. "We are cooperating in the fight against the mafias that traffic in human beings", he stressed, stressing that "migration must be safe, legal, regular and orderly".

In addition, he stressed, the collaboration with Morocco has made it possible to "dismantle six criminal and terrorist networks in the last year and a half" thanks to the work of the security forces and bodies.

On the other hand, he has placed special emphasis on Ceuta and Melilla, where they are already feeling "the benefits of greater stability and prosperity" offered by the new relationship with Morocco and which in this case have resulted in the reopening of land borders as well such as the reopening of the customs office in Melilla, closed unilaterally by Morocco in 2018, and the opening of a new one in Ceuta on January 27.

Regarding this last issue, one of the key points of the joint declaration of April 7, has ensured that there is "an agreed calendar to continue in an orderly manner" but has defended the need for "discreet and patient work, to guarantee that border normalization is carried out with the proper security conditions" and to avoid the repetition of "scenes from the past, contrary to the dignity of people", in reference to atypical trade.