Preparations for Operation Marhaba began on May 3, during a meeting of the National Transit Commission, chaired by the Ministry of the Interior, said Monday before the House of Representatives, the Minister of Foreign Affairs , African Cooperation and Moroccans residing abroad, Nasser Bourita.
Coordination with the Spanish side began on May 17 with the holding of the joint Moroccan-Spanish commission in charge of the transit operation, said Bourita, who was answering oral questions on the “Marhaba” operation, adding that the two parties are working on areas related in particular to fluidity, traffic, support, communication and health monitoring.
Noting that the Marhaba operation is unique in its kind and requires certain devices to be guaranteed, the Minister maintained that the changes, both at the international level and those concerning the Moroccan community abroad, have meant that the organization of this operation takes place all year round, recalling that this was underlined in the Royal Speech of August 20th.
The organization of this operation encounters certain difficulties that we try to overcome from year to year, he said, highlighting the solidity of the ties uniting the Moroccan community established abroad with the mother country.
He also recalled that last year recorded the access of 3 million MRE to the national territory, an increase of 4 pc compared to 2019, describing the Marhaba operation as exceptional during the last year.