At the end of his talks with his Spanish counterpart, Mr. Nasser Bourita affirmed, in a statement to the press, that Upon HM King Mohammed VI's high instructions, Morocco considers Spain as a "trusted partner and ally", stressing that the two countries will work, in a positive spirit and with ambition, to give more vigour to their bilateral relations.

"The Instructions of His Majesty the King are clear: Morocco considers Spain as a trusted partner and ally. We will work in a positive spirit to implement, with ambition, all the commitments defined by His Majesty the King and the President of the Spanish government to make these relations strong," said Mr. Bourita.

Relations between Rabat and Madrid, as stated by HM the King, have reached a new and unprecedented stage, based on mutual respect, strong ambition, in addition to the implementation of common commitments to serve the interests of both countries and for regional peace and stability, he stressed.

The minister also said that the talks with his Spanish counterpart were an opportunity to take stock of what has been achieved under the Joint Declaration at the end of discussions between His Majesty King Mohammed VI and the President of the Spanish government, Pedro Sánchez, and the audience that HM the King granted him last April.

"We found that several points contained in this Declaration have been achieved," he said, adding that all working groups have met four times and will hold two more meetings next month.

Mr. Bourita has also highlighted the dynamics of visits between the ministers of both countries, focused on a multitude of strategic sectors.

He said in this regard that the two sides have agreed to convene the High Joint Committee before the end of the year, stressing that this meeting will mark an important step in the dynamics of Moroccan-Spanish relations.

Describing as "exemplary and unique" the cooperation relations between Morocco and Spain in the field of migration management, Mr. Bourita told the press that partnership dynamics on this component will have positive repercussions both bilaterally and regionally. He announced, on this occasion, that Rabat and Madrid intend to coordinate their efforts at a meeting scheduled for December to involve other countries in this approach to manage the migration issue and fight against trafficking networks.

In addition, Bourita welcomed the success of the Marhaba operation through the quality of cooperation and coordination between Morocco and Spain, as well as the restoration of maritime links between the two countries, stressing that Morocco-Spain relations have resumed under the best auspices.

For his part, the Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, José Manuel Albares, welcomed, Wednesday in New York, the "intense" strategic partnership between Spain and Morocco which reflects "a new stage" based on "transparency, permanent communication and mutual respect."

"We have an intense bilateral program covering all aspects of our bilateral relationship, based on transparency, permanent communication and mutual respect. These are the principles of a sincere cooperation between two strategic partners like Spain and Morocco," said the head of Spanish diplomacy.

According to Albares, this is a "new stage" in relations between Madrid and Rabat, adding that the interview with Bourita has served as an opportunity to establish the basis for "next steps".

"We have achieved a more-than-significant progress that the Moroccan and Spanish people are already enjoying," he said, referring to the resumption of links, "which has also allowed thousands of families to be reunited this summer through this operation after these years of pandemics."

He also stressed that he has agreed with his Moroccan counterpart for the holding, as planned, of the high-level meeting before the end of the year, "the objective being that this will be possible during the month of November.

For the Spanish minister, this meeting will be "a new opportunity to take stock and continue to move forward together and reaffirm the Spanish-Moroccan friendship.

While recalling that this high-level meeting has not been held since 2015, he noted that, since last April, all the working groups created in accordance with the roadmap of the Joint Declaration at the end of discussions between His Majesty King Mohammed VI and the President of the Spanish government, Pedro Sánchez, "have held meetings and are meeting the work schedule provided."

Regarding the "regular and orderly" movement of goods, the Spanish minister noted that Spanish exports to Morocco have increased by 30% in just one year, reaching 6,000 million euros, consolidating Spain's position as the Kingdom's leading trading partner.

"But want to go further, that's why we are working with the objective of achieving a land passage for goods next January," he said, stressing that as part of the "reactivation" of bilateral cooperation, both sides have "agreed to work for the orderly and gradual passage of goods to land customs posts begins in January.

Albares also announced that the Spanish government will approve a project for a fund to promote development worth 20 million euros, the first project over 20 years in Morocco to provide microcredit to promote the inclusion of youth and women in the productive system.

He said that cooperation between the two countries will also focus on technical assistance in the railway sector, the water sector and for the establishment of integrated systems.

As for migration, the Spanish minister referred to "evidence of excellent cooperation", noting that the figures of irregular arrivals have been reduced by 20% in the last four months compared to the same period last year.

"This is the result, among other things, of the joint work against the criminal networks of human trafficking. We have agreed to continue strengthening this cooperation, especially on the Atlantic coast," he said.

Finally, Albares said that as part of the "reactivation" of bilateral cooperation, both sides have "agreed to work for the orderly and gradual passage of goods through land customs posts to begin in January.

Held on the sidelines of the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly, these talks between Mr. Bourita and Mr. Albares took place in the presence of the Ambassador Permanent Representative of Morocco to the UN, Mr. Omar Hilale, the Ambassador Director General at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Fouad Yazourh, and the Ambassador, Director General of the Moroccan Agency for International Cooperation, Mr. Mohamed Methqal.