Rabat — The working visit of President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sanchez, to Morocco reflects Spain's attachment to the strategic partnership between the two countries, as well as its position supporting the Moroccan autonomy initiative in the southern provinces, President of the Sahrawi Observatory for Media and Human Rights, Mohamed Salem Abdelfattah, said.

Sanchez's visit, the first to the Kingdom since his investiture, highlights the momentum experienced by relations between the two neighboring countries, thanks to the support expressed by Madrid for the Moroccan autonomy initiative in the southern provinces, the expert told MAP.

In this regard, he underlined the quality of economic, human, civilizational and cultural relations between the two countries, as well as the presence of a large Moroccan community in Spain.

In this regard, he noted that these close relations and this strategic partnership are consolidated by large-scale projects which bring the two countries closer as continental gateways, in particular the Morocco-Nigeria gas pipeline project which will strengthen the role of the two countries in achieving energy security in the region, and the intercontinental link project, as well as the joint bid with Portugal to organize the 2030 World Cup.

The researcher added that issues related to security cooperation, the fight against irregular immigration and terrorism also top the concerns of the two countries, especially since Morocco plays a leading role in these areas.

The Kingdom's place in its regional neighborhood and in its continental depth has been reinforced by the initiative of His Majesty King Mohammed VI aimed at enabling Atlantic access for Sahel countries to promote trade, regional integration between the countries of Atlantic Africa and access of the Sahel countries to the Atlantic Ocean.