Minister of the Interior Abdelouafi Laftit held, Saturday in Madrid, talks with his Spanish counterpart Fernando Grande-Marlaska, on means to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the various areas of common interest. Speaking to reporters, Laftit described as «very important» the meeting, adding that it illustrates, once again, the excellent close relationship between the two Kingdoms and their determination to address all issues of common interest. He added that the talks focused in particular on the migration issue, particularly in relation to the pressure of recent months, as well as the efforts made by the Kingdom to deal with these flows and combat networks active in the smuggling of migrants. «We also discussed other aspects of Moroccan-Spanish relations that are extremely important for both countries», Laftit said. For his part, Marlaska commended the holding of this meeting, which is part of the ongoing contacts between the two ministers and the two countries. «We have mainly addressed the issue of migration and how to deal with significant migratory flows, the majority of which are motivated by economic reasons», said the Spanish minister. He noted, in this regard, that both Kingdoms are in favor of legal, orderly and rational migration, in the context of equal cooperation, adding that Spain is convinced of the need to strengthen the European Union's cooperation with Morocco in order to achieve this objective. «Morocco is and should remain a privileged partner and that is the way we are moving forward», stressed Marlaska. He also noted that Laftit had conveyed to him the thanks of King Mohammed VI to King Felipe VI and the head of the Spanish government, Pedro Sanchez, for Spain's efforts to bring Morocco's migration concerns closer to the European Union and to encourage the latter to assume with more intensity cooperation with the Kingdom in this area.
