Relations between Morocco and Spain, two countries united by human ties and agreements serving their common interests, have always favored dialogue and discussion as a way of resolving crises, underlined, Wednesday in Rabat, Bachir Dkhil, researcher and president of the Forum Alternatives Internationales.
“It is very important to value and understand this type of relationship. When a crisis arises, it is always resolved through discussion” between the two neighboring countries, which are long-standing strategic partners, Dkhil said in a statement to the press on the sidelines of an international conference on “Relations between Morocco and Spain: cross-references”. Organized by the Faculty of Letters and Human Sciences of Rabat, this two-day conference was attended by several Moroccan and Spanish researchers, professors and politicians.
Speaking at the opening of this meeting, Maria Antonia Trujillo, former Spanish Minister of Housing, described as “excellent” the relations between Morocco and Spain, two countries which share several common interests, especially in the economic and security fields as well as in terms of preventing and combating terrorism and radicalism.
“We must work more for the development of bilateral relations, particularly at the cultural and economic levels,” she added, referring to the strong presence of Moroccans in Spanish universities and the increased number of Moroccans who speak the Spanish language.
For his part, Mohamed Benabdelkader, researcher in communication sciences, stressed that through “diplomatic discourse” and despite the successive contexts of crisis and moments of disagreement, “Morocco and Spain have always tried, for through discursive diplomacy, to create a constructive and cooperative narrative that responds to the new reality and complexity of bilateral ties”.
“Agreements and treaties are, in this sense, a form of diplomatic communication that takes place in the context of a more or less balanced bilateral relationship,” he added.
Speaking on this occasion, the Spanish economist and sociologist, Rafael Esperanza Machin, indicated that Spain and Morocco, two sovereign Kingdoms linked by very close neighborly relations, are aware of their shared history, characterized by “many vicissitudes”.
Esperanza Machin stressed, on the other hand, that the position of the President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sanchez, to recognize the autonomy initiative presented by Morocco as “the best solution to resolve the Sahara dispute, is not only timely, but it is also the culmination of the work begun by his predecessors Felipe Gonzalez and José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero”.
The opening ceremony of the Conference was marked by the screening of a video on Moroccan-Spanish relations and by the signing of a twinning agreement between the Fikr Foundation for Development, Culture and Science and the Canario-Moroccan Cooperation and Friendship Association (Acama).
The agenda for this meeting (November 16-17) includes panels dealing with various topics including the history of Moroccan-Spanish relations, ways to develop economic relations between the two countries and political and strategic perspectives.