The Spanish Ministry of Defense does not plan to change its defense strategy for the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla, despite the transfer by Morocco of drones acquired from Turkey to its military base of Al-Aroui in Nador, only 30 kilometers from Melilla.
Spain seems not to fear Morocco, which has been strengthening and modernizing its army for a few years and claims the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla because it considers that its defense policy is an integral part of that of the European Union and of NATO.
In an interview with Europa Press, the Minister of Defense, Margarita Robles, reaffirms the sovereignty of Spain over Ceuta and Melilla and assures that they are “Spanish territories in the same way as any other city of Spain”. “Morocco deserves our greatest respect”, she declared, specifying that Spain does not intend to change its defense strategy in Ceuta and Melilla in the face of Morocco’s rearmament, for the simple reason that its defense policy is part of that of the European Union and NATO.
Robles adds that “Morocco does not belong to the EU or to NATO” while Spain is a member of these two institutions and its army participates in missions with the United Nations peacekeepers. The minister also recalled the brief exchange of 29 seconds that the head of the Spanish government, Pedro Sánchez, had with the President of the United States, Joe Biden, on the sidelines of the last NATO summit, announcing that Spain will host the next summit of the organization next year. Which, according to her, sounds like “recognition by all countries” of Spain’s role in the Atlantic Alliance for 40 years. “This is proof that Spain is a serious and reliable country at the international level,” she concluded.
Morocco plans to acquire 22 Turkish attack helicopters worth 1.3 billion euros as well as 12 Turkish drones to monitor the borders of Ceuta and Melilla. In recent years, Morocco has carried out its ambitious program of strengthening its army for which it has devoted more than 20 billion dollars, the report entitled “Morocco, the Strait of Gibraltar and the military threat against Spain” had underlined by the Institute of Security and Culture.
