Felipe VI wants to visit Ceuta, nineteen years after Mohammed VI’s anger
Felipe VI has committed to visiting Ceuta following the recent migration crisis. No date has yet been set, but the last visit by a Spanish sovereign to the city had triggered serious diplomatic tensions with Morocco.
The president of Ceuta, Juan Jesús Vivas, was received on Thursday, August 6, by Felipe VI at the Marivent Palace in Majorca.
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At the end of the audience, he stated that the king was personally committed to making a visit to the city and said he was convinced that he would keep this promise.
The Spanish Royal Household has, however, announced neither a date nor a program. The trip therefore remains an intention reported by the president of Ceuta.
Felipe VI has never visited Ceuta or Melilla since ascending to the throne in 2014. These two cities are the only Spanish autonomous territories he has not visited as head of state, Cadena SER recalls.
A visit following the events of July would be presented in Spain as support for the residents and a reaffirmation of Spanish sovereignty over Ceuta.
Morocco, which still considers the city occupied, could interpret this gesture very differently.
The 2007 precedent
The last royal visit to Ceuta took place in November 2007. Juan Carlos and Queen Sofía then visited Ceuta and Melilla, triggering a serious crisis between Rabat and Madrid.
Before the trip, Mohammed VI recalled Morocco’s ambassador to Spain, Omar Azziman, for consultations.
The Moroccan sovereign subsequently expressed his “strong condemnation” of the visit, describing it as “regrettable” and as an act contrary to the feelings of the Moroccan people.
He also denounced a “nostalgic act from a dark and bygone era.”
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Nearly nineteen years later, the disagreement remains. Madrid considers Ceuta and Melilla Spanish territories, while Rabat continues to challenge this sovereignty.
