Moroccan Justice Minister Abdellatif Ouhbi again made claims to Ceuta and Melilla on Friday 21 August. The Spanish MFA responded by diplomatic channels to Rabat that both cities are an integral part of Spain and the EU. Following the July crossing of the border by about 80 000 migrants, the state sovereignty and the safety of the inhabitants are at stake.
The discount returns to claims
Moroccan Justice Minister Abdellatif Ouhbi again made claims to Ceuta and Melilla on Friday 21 August. The Spanish MFA responded by diplomatic channels to Rabat that both cities are an integral part of Spain and the EU. Following the July crossing of the border by about 80 000 migrants, the state sovereignty and the safety of the inhabitants are at stake.
According to Virtual Poland for PAP, Ouahbi spoke on Moroccan public tv 2M about Morocco's alleged "historical and geographical law" to 2 Spanish cities in North Africa. It's a language that's not random in diplomacy. First the obviousness of the border is questioned, later presented as an open matter, and then expected concessions.
Spain replied clearly: Ceuta and Melilla are Spanish cities, are an integral part of the state and belong to the European Union. specified a reaction is the minimum responsibility. A country that starts negotiating its own sovereignty under the force of its neighbour invites itself to further demands.
Ceuta after mass border crisis
The territorial dispute returned at the minute erstwhile Ceuta continued to appear from the mass migration crisis of late July. According to the study of the WP/PAP on 30 and 31 July, the border exceeded about 80,000 people, of which more than 70,000 were returned to Morocco. The Associated Press reported in fresh days that thousands of migrants inactive stay in the city and local services are facing the problem of accommodation, food and identification.
The National diary has already described how The migration crisis in Ceuta has become a tool of pressure and how the Spanish authorities tried to control the situation at the border. In the background there are dramas of peculiar people, but besides a hard political fact: mass, uncontrolled migration rapidly paralyzes tiny territory and restricts the freedom of the state's decision.
Caminando Fronteras estimates that at least 145 migrants were killed during the mass crossing. This balance sheet requires seriousness. At the same time, you must not pretend that the tragedy happened in a vacuum. The boundary, which is exposed to crowd pressure, later acts as a wound on the map. It is utilized by smugglers, social media, abroad governments and interior politicians who like moral posers to responsibility.
Borders are not a subject for soft game
For Spain, Ceuta and Melilla are more crucial than the area or population. It is simply a test whether the national state can say no erstwhile force comes at the same time through diplomatic, migration and propaganda channels. Madrid's not just defending 2 cities here. It defends the rule that the state border is not a working evidence to be corrected under the influence of the crisis.
In fresh weeks Spain has strengthened military presence in the exclave, and previously DN has reported that Spain strengthens the border in CeutaWhen thousands of people waited for administrative decisions. This shows a simple lesson for Europe. Humanitarianism without border control ends in chaos, and chaos very rapidly becomes an argument in the hands of a stronger neighbor.
Morocco has the right to conduct its own policy, but Spain has the work to defend its own territory. That's how a serious state works. That is why Madrid's reaction should besides be observed in Poland. We besides live on the border of migratory pressure, hybrid war and sovereign disputes.
Lesson for Poland
Polish national interest requires a sober conclusion: the border is an institution of the state, not a decoration for EU debates. erstwhile force increases, services, infrastructure, procedures and political will are important. Without it, all declaration of solidarity sounds like an empty formula.
Ceuta and Melilla remind Europe of something that the right has been talking about for years. Sovereignty does not defend itself. It must be done all day, sometimes in ungrateful conditions, under the fire of criticism and moralizing. If the state is not guarding the gate, others will rapidly begin explaining to him who owns the house.
Source: Virtual Poland/PAP, Euronews, Associated Press.
Source: WP News
