Spain’s foreign minister José Manuel Albares said on Friday in the Congress that there had been no talks with Morocco over the sovereignty of Ceuta and Melilla and that there would be none in the future. Before the Foreign Affairs Committee he stressed that both cities belong to Spain and the European Union, and cited formal protests by Madrid against statements from Rabatthat have been regarded as directed against Spain’s territorial integrity.
Albares said Spain’s position was clear: Ceuta and Melilla were an integral part of Spanish territory. At the same time, he highlighted practical cooperation with Morocco, which had been “essential” in recent weeks. According to him, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is in regular contact with Moroccan officials to coordinate operational issues relating to migration and border management. These contacts, however, did not concern sovereignty.
The current debate stems from mass border crossings at the end of July 2026, which prompted domestic political controversy and intensive diplomacy. The government says that stability and prosperity in Ceuta and Melilla must take priority, and that measures are being coordinated both bilaterally with Morocco and at European level. Opposition representatives, however, criticised the committee for gaps in the account of events and called for further explanations of the sequence of events and who was responsible.
Albares said that he had rejected statements attributed to Moroccan government departments about Ceuta and Melilla “through all available diplomatic channels”. He stressed the principle that political cooperation with Rabat should not be conflated with matters of state sovereignty. The Spanish side maintains that its legal and political positions on the two cities remain unchanged.
The impact of the latest tensions on relations between Madrid and Rabat remains unclear. The government is relying on ongoing working-level contacts on security and migration and points to the need for European coordination. Opposition parties have announced further parliamentary initiatives to compel the government to provide more information. One thing is clear: the dispute over interpretations and responsibility continues, while Spain stands by its position on Ceuta and Melilla.
Editor: Phillipe Schmidt-Araguin (Article created with AI assistance).