Spain and Morocco Prime Ministers talk about territorial disputes 

MADRID,

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez met with his Moroccan counterpart in Madrid on Thursday to discuss the European Union's strategic North African neighbour, particularly the sensitive Western Sahara issue.

The vast, resource-rich former Spanish colony, which is mostly controlled by Morocco, has long complicated Rabat's relations with the bloc, with the Algerian-backed Polisario Front seeking independence for the territory.

Spain improved its previously strained relations with Morocco in 2022 by supporting Rabat's plan to grant Western Sahara autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty, which was also supported by the US and France.

Sanchez and Moroccan Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch were scheduled to discuss the Western Sahara before signing agreements on agriculture and fishing.

Rabat wants to improve airspace management in Western Sahara, which Spain controls from the Canary Islands in the Atlantic.

"When a territory is under a country's sovereignty, it is preferable that the country manage all air, land, and maritime matters," Moroccan Trade Minister Ryad Mezzour told El Mundo newspaper.

Immigration was expected to be another hot topic. Morocco is a key EU partner in managing irregular migration, sharing the bloc’s only land border with Africa at the Spanish exclaves of Ceuta and Melilla.

"Morocco is taking an active role in combating illegal immigration," Mezzour told El Mundo.

"We are making every effort, in collaboration with our partners, to do what is necessary to ensure that there is no problem."