The head of the Spanish government appeared before the House of Representatives this morning, with foreign policy taking center stage in the debate. The leader of the opposition People's Party (PP), disagreeing with the government's foreign policy, criticized Pedro Sanchez for his «silence» when Morocco claims Ceuta and Melilla as Moroccan territory. Alberto Núñez Feijóo further criticized Sanchez on the issue of Western Sahara, accusing him of «abandoning the Sahrawi people to their fate». He linked the Western Sahara issue to his condemnation of the Spanish government's recognition of the State of Palestine, a decision that will be officially enacted on May 28. For the record, during his appearance in the Senate last March, the Spanish Foreign Minister had denounced the right's «anti-Moroccan obsession». José Manuel Albares emphasized, in response to a PP senator's question, that Morocco is «the third largest client of Spain in the world, outside the European Union. This represents trade exchanges of more than 21 billion euros». He accused the PP of «turning its back on the 17,000 Spanish companies exporting to Morocco» and the «nearly 700 companies» established in Morocco.
