The president of regional government of the Canary Islands, Angel Victor Torres will make an official two-day visit to Morocco between February 16 and 21, the archipelago’s press understands.
Indeed, it is said that Angel Victor Torres, should make his first official visit to Morocco in the wake of the high-level meeting (RHN) held recently by the Spanish and Moroccan Executives. Torres stressed to the press as to the expectations of his visit ” how important it is for a +border+ territory, like the Canary Islands, to have the best possible relations with its neighbors”.
” For the Canary Islands, the good relationship between Spain and Morocco is fundamental. At the moment, it exists and it is concretized through the HLM” , he said.
The president also emphasized being “ constantly informed by the Spanish government” meetings that the representatives of the two countries have held since the restoration of normal relations between Madrid and Rabat.
For the islands, he continued, good neighborliness with Morocco has particular weight for ” various reasons “of which “international, commercial and economic relations and the control of migratory flows”. In this regard, the Government of the Canary Islands addressed this Thursday the resumption of the arrival of immigrants by boat from the African coasts.
For Angel Victor Torres, the agreements concluded by Spain with Morocco as well as other West African countries have made it possible to reduce illegal immigration.
It should be noted that during the first week of February, the Canary Islands received a total of 756 immigrants, most rescued in the waters of Lanzarote, according to data from the government delegation. These arrivals bring to 1,322 people who have disembarked so far in the archipelago. These figures are much lower than those treated in 2022 during the same period (3,924 people).
That being said, Torres hopes not to return from Morocco empty-handed, for the economy of the islands. ” We will be accompanied by a business delegation. The relationship between the Canary Islands and Morocco is commercially close, we have Canarian companies in Morocco, there are Moroccan companies also based in our land“, he said in this regard during the press conference at the end of a Board of Governors, held during the week.
” IMorocco is a privileged partner and it is very close to the archipelago due to its economic ties“, he remarked.