In a move reminiscent of the 2023 Rabat summit, the Canary Islands' regional government has once again been excluded from the upcoming Morocco–Spain summit, scheduled for December 3 and 4 in Madrid. The decision was confirmed on Tuesday by Spain's Foreign Minister, José Manuel Albares, during a conversation with the archipelago's president, Fernando Clavijo. The news has disappointed the autonomous government, which had formally requested to attend through a letter to the foreign minister. «We simply want to be present; of course, we do not intend to dictate a country's foreign policy, but at least be there to know what is being discussed», Clavijo said at a press conference on Tuesday. Even before confirmation of the Canary Islands' absence, Spanish media had highlighted the potential «consequences» for the archipelago of Morocco's recent diplomatic gains on the Sahara issue at the UN Security Council. «Concerns in the Canary Islands ahead of the Spain–Morocco summit following the UN resolution on Western Sahara», Radio Cadena Ser reported on Sunday, a station close to Spain's governing socialists. «Rabat seeks to consolidate its position in the Sahara in exchange for assurances that it will not lay claim to the Canary Islands, and demands a maritime median line», speculated El Periódico de Ceuta. The right-wing coalition currently governing the Canary Islands, a partnership between the Canary Coalition and the People's Party since June 2023, has yet to clarify its position on the Sahara issue. On one hand, it faces pressure to align with the PP's national stance, which criticizes Pedro Sánchez's support for Morocco's autonomy plan. On the other, it acknowledges the strategic importance of the regional market, reflected in the «Africa Plan» presented by Clavijo last March and the recent trade mission from the islands to Dakhla, held from November 28 to December 2.
