Vox continues to demand the entry of Ceuta and Melilla into NATO, as it does not trust Morocco, despite the restoration of diplomatic relations with Spain and the resumption of cooperation between the two countries.
As part of the annual NATO naval exercises, three patrol boats docked on Wednesday at the port of Tangier. Dubbed SeaGuardian, this naval exercise planned in the western Mediterranean brings together several countries, including Israel, which had initially declined NATO’s invitation.
Morocco and other countries such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt will attend as observers the NATO naval exercise that takes place every year in the eastern Mediterranean basin with the participation of the Israeli navy and various foreign fleets.
Vox and the Popular Party (PP) clashed on Wednesday in Congress over measures to protect the Melilla border with Morocco, after the latest migrant assaults. The PP is not in favor of a permanent deployment of the armed forces at the fence, alluding to NATO protection, while Vox is advocating for it.
The Spanish Senate on Thursday rejected the proposal by the Vox party to amend Article 6 of the North Atlantic Treaty to explicitly include the Spanish cities of Ceuta and Melilla under NATO protection .
Spain would not withstand an armed attack by Morocco on Ceuta and Melilla. Several Spanish as well as American military experts had reached this conclusion and recommended measures to strengthen security in the two enclaves.
Could Ceuta and Melilla benefit from NATO military support in the event of a possible attack, even though Spain has been a member of the organization since 1982 and the two cities have been declared Spanish since 1580 for one and 1497 for the other? The question is generating many comments.
The far-right party Vox will present on Monday to the Defense Commission of Congress a bill requesting the government to include the cities of Ceuta and Melilla under the protection of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez will meet with US President Joe Biden on Monday on the sidelines of the NATO summit. The migration crisis with Morocco will likely be at the heart of the discussions with the US president.
The combined Moroccan-American exercise African Lion 2021 will take place from June 7 to 18 in several regions of Morocco, including the Mehbes region in the Sahara, with the participation of thousands of military personnel from many countries and a very large amount of land, air and naval equipment.
Twenty days after the United States’ recognition of the Moroccanness of the Sahara, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has adopted the full map of the kingdom, which takes into account the Moroccan Saharan provinces.
As part of the efforts deployed in the fight against terrorism and unconventional wars, the Spanish Ministry of Defense has launched a call for applications to women wishing to join the special forces.