The Moroccan-Spanish Permanent Mixed Migration Group held its 21st meeting on Friday in Madrid, during which the two parties discussed the migration partnership as a whole, the Interior Ministry said in a statement.
This meeting was co-chaired by Khalid Zerouali, Wali Director of Migration and Border Surveillance and Mrs. Isabel Castro Fernández, Spanish Secretary of State for Migration, in the presence of Rafael Pérez Ruiz, Secretary of State for Security , Angeles Moreno Bau, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Karima Benyaich, King’s Ambassador to Spain.
Thus, with regard to operational cooperation, the Spanish side expressed its thanks for the major efforts made by the Moroccan authorities in the fight against irregular migration, with tangible results, particularly at the level of the Atlantic and Western Mediterranean routes. which make the Kingdom a reliable partner and a major player in regional security, according to the same source.
Also, faced with the shared challenges induced by the action of migrant smuggling networks with increasingly violent methods and the unstable regional environment, the two parties have decided to strengthen their coordination and information exchange mechanisms, notably through the renovation of joint working methods at the level of Police Cooperation Centers, liaison officers and mixed patrols.
Concerning regular migration, the two parties discussed the Moroccan-Spanish model of circular mobility and labor management which has a positive balance sheet and which represents one of the most solid and recognized examples of success at the level European and international, the statement continued, adding that the two parties also pledged to continue working in this direction and to establish new paths aimed at strengthening the prospects for cooperation in order to encourage controlled legal flows, in coordination with all operators and stakeholders.
Regarding the issue of unaccompanied minors, the Moroccan side recalled the High Royal Instructions for the repatriation of all duly identified Moroccan minors. The two parties have agreed, in this regard, to continue to prioritize their approach around the best interests of the minor, in particular through prevention, protection and concerted return.
They examined, in this regard, a draft procedure outline for the return of minors surrounded by all the legal guarantees, legal and respectful of international commitments.
On the other hand, the two parties hailed the contribution of the Moroccan Community in Spain and its plural contribution as a vector of cultural and civilizational rapprochement.
Both sides also reaffirmed their commitment to regional and triangular cooperation on migration. In this regard, they will strengthen dialogue and close coordination during Morocco’s chairmanship of the Rabat Process in 2023 and the thematic meeting on humanized border management that the two parties will co-chair in Marrakech on June 22 and 23, 2023.
Similarly, it was agreed to bring together, during the second half of 2023, the various ad hoc joint sub-committees under the migration group in order to validate sectoral action plans.
The Moroccan-Spanish Permanent Mixed Migration Group, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary, is an institutional framework that has constituted throughout this period the lasting foundation of an exceptional migratory partnership between the two countries, supported by concrete actions that make it today a model of North-South cooperation.
The dynamic of the Permanent Mixed Migration Group, imbued with trust, clarity and mutual respect, also marked by the community of challenges and issues, has made it possible to maintain channels and tools for coordination and permanent, uninterrupted and regular exchanges. .
The Permanent Mixed Migration Group has also anchored a global approach reconciling multiple dimensions, federating sectoral logics both in terms of irregular migration and legal migration, with innovative and daring pragmatic initiatives and actions that have enriched the Group’s achievements. Moroccan-Spanish Permanent Mixed Migration.