Albares rules out negotiating the sovereignty of Ceuta and Melilla with Morocco and assures that this option has never existed: "It's nonsense"

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, rejected this Tuesday any formula of co-sovereignty of Ceuta and Melilla with Morocco. "It's nonsense," he stated from New York, where he is participating in the UN General Assembly. He insisted that Spain will not negotiate the sovereignty of the two autonomous cities and specified that the Moroccan government has not raised that possibility either.

Albares also addressed the most immediate concern at the border. As he explained, his Moroccan counterpart, Naser Burita, informed him that Rabat will reinforce surveillance to prevent a new massive entry this Wednesday, when legislative elections are held in Morocco. Both ministers are scheduled to meet during their stay in New York, after weeks of contacts over the Ceuta crisis.

The alert for Wednesday the 23rd

The new call to cross into Ceuta is circulating on social networks and messaging channels almost two months after the entry of tens of thousands of people on July 30 and 31. Spain and Morocco have reinforced their border security measures. The Interior Ministry has arranged for the deployment of nearly 150 additional police and civil guards to Ceuta, while Moroccan authorities have intensified controls in the areas of access to the border.

Albares assures that he personally requested more agents both in the vicinity of Ceuta and Melilla. He recalled that the Moroccan deployment stopped another entry attempt on August 15 and trusts that the same will happen this Wednesday. This is, for now, a commitment conveyed by Rabat to the Spanish minister; the result will depend on what happens on the ground.

Foreign Affairs is also trying to counteract messages that present irregular crossing as a way to stay in Spain or reach the Peninsula. Albares has requested the collaboration of Moroccan media to disseminate official information and warn of the danger of swimming crossings. Entering irregularly does not automatically grant the right to stay, although the situation of each person must be examined according to the corresponding procedures, including international protection and specific guarantees for minors.

The minister maintains that Morocco is accepting returns. Data provided this Tuesday by the Government put the number of people who have voluntarily returned from Ceuta to Morocco since August 10 at 6,791, and those expelled at 318. Border cooperation continues while thousands of people remain in the city and asylum, reception, and return files advance.

Sovereignty, threats, and relationship with Rabat

The position expressed today by Albares responds to several recent statements in Morocco that have once again claimed Ceuta and Melilla. After two Moroccan ministers spoke about the cities, Foreign Affairs summoned the Moroccan ambassador on August 21. As she was outside of Spain, the chargé d'affaires attended. The Spanish Government conveyed its rejection of those statements.

In recent days, proposals for co-sovereignty have also appeared among Moroccan candidates on the eve of the elections. Albares has ruled out that this formula is part of bilateral conversations and has separated border surveillance cooperation from any territorial discussion. Madrid needs to coordinate with Rabat in the face of the migratory alert, but the minister states that the sovereignty of Ceuta and Melilla is outside of that interlocution.

The head of Foreign Affairs has also responded to Yahya Yahya, a former Moroccan senator who has threatened bloodshed if the Kings visit Ceuta and Melilla. The visit is in the Government's plans, although it does not yet have a date. "Nobody threatens Spain," Albares replied, defending the right of Felipe VI and Letizia to visit both cities when agreed upon by the Executive and the Royal Household.

Albares has also criticized those who, in his opinion, have used the crisis to pit the inhabitants of Ceuta against each other and has pointed to the activity on social networks of sectors of the radical right. The next conversation with Burita will have specific pending issues: surveillance in anticipation of Wednesday's call and the acceptance of returns as individual files are resolved.