The Popular Party (PP) candidate for Sebta, Javier Celaya, has argued for a more prominent role for King Felipe VI to improve relations with Morocco.
As part of his campaign for the Congress elections, the PP candidate for Sebta thus highlighted the importance of restoring a more active role for Felipe VI in diplomatic relations between Madrid and Rabat.
This step, he believes, would improve the ties that unite the two Kingdoms and achieve key objectives, including the opening of commercial customs at the Tarajal border, a project announced by the coalition government of the PSOE and Unidas Podemos for the month of January, but which has not yet seen the light of day despite several pilot tests.
In a statement to the press following his meeting with representatives of local employers, Javier Celaya expressed his concerns about the resumption of sales to the Kingdom of Morocco. In this sense, he mentioned the concerns of business leaders who wish to see trade exchanges strengthened with Rabat.
Nevertheless, the PP considers that the future of Sebta lies in an orientation of economic development towards “more Spain and more Europe”. This approach aims to boost the region’s economy by strengthening its trade links with the European Union and promoting sustainable and prosperous development internally.
” We hope that with a future PP government, good relations with the neighboring country, Morocco, will be restored, and that the promise of opening the Tarajal trade customs will be fulfilled.“, specified the candidate.
He also said that, first of all, a central government led by Feijóo ” will not have the problem that Sánchez has, divided between PSOE and Podemos ministers with very different visions of Spain’s foreign policy, including on key issues affecting Morocco’s interests, such as the Sahara“.
” Another thing that will not happen with the PP is that we are proud of our King and his such important role as Head of State in the institutional external representation of our country, especially with Arab countries“, Celaya added.
And to add: Our current president seems to prefer to put the head of state in the background to have more protagonism, and this will not happen with the PP because we are proud to be the Kingdom of Spain, and Felipe VI will be a means of improving diplomatic relations with Morocco with regard to Sebta“.
In addition, Javier Celaya, accompanied by Cuca Gamarra, secretary general of the PP at the national level, met on Tuesday with representatives of the Chamber of Commerce. At the heart of the discussions, the restoration of good relations between Spain and Morocco, with particular emphasis on the aspect of trade between the two countries in order to promote the economic development of Sebta.
In statements to the Iberian newspaper El Faro, the “number 2” of the PP stressed that if Alberto Núñez Feijóo, the party president, gains access to La Moncloa, relations with Rabat will be based on “ mutual respect, good neighborliness and loyalty between neighbors“.
” Importantly, Feijóo has already made it clear that his first foreign visit, if he is president, will be to Morocco, which says a lot about how he wants those relations to be with a neighboring country. This must be taken into account, as well as the requirement of reciprocity and mutual loyalty, this is how good relations between neighbors are built.“, notes Gamara.