Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares reassured the President of the Canary Islands, Ángel Víctor Torres, that control of the Sahara airspace will not be transferred to Morocco, stressing that the ongoing talks are rather aimed at ” improve the management” of this space.
There will be no transfer. I want to be very clear and firm, because it is not foreseen in the agreement (signed by Spain and Morocco in April 2022). I spoke with the Minister of Foreign Affairs today (Thursday) and he replied that under no circumstances will there be a transfer of airspace. What the two governments are discussing is improving the management of the airspaces,” Torres said during a press conference in Fuerteventura.
In a written answer to the question of the Canarian senator, Fernando Clavijo, the Spanish Executive acknowledged that negotiations have been initiated with Rabat on the subject of the management of the airspaces of the Sahara, currently administered by Spain from the Canary Islands. The President of the Canary Islands recalled that these negotiations are in line with point 7 of the joint declaration of last April between Spain and Morocco.
Ángel Víctor Torres did not fail to insist on the need to maintain a fluid relationship with Morocco based on “transparency”, without taking “unilateral decisions”, “without distorting things and without triggering an alarm between the Spanish and Moroccan governments. The Canarian president is returning from an official visit to Morocco, where he visited Rabat and Casablanca.
The benefits of this trip are good in terms of strengthening air and sea links between the two countries, assured Torres, specifying that three airlines will serve Gran Canaria (2) and Lanzarote (1) and a ferry line could be launched between Tarfaya and Fuerteventura.
