Politics

Spain's PM says that Morocco has responded to his demands for greater border control

Pedro Sánchez has once again softened his tone towards the neighbouring country and stated that the warning of a new mass illegal crossing into Ceuta on 23 September never materialised

Nueva York (Enviada especial)

24/09/2026 a las 18:24h.

For the past month and a half, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has been navigating striking a difficult balance between the need to counter the ... criticism of those who accuse him of an excessively complacent and even submissive attitude towards Morocco and the conviction that antagonising the neighbouring country will only serve to further complicate the return of the migrants still in Ceuta.

Any interpretation of his words that tips the balance towards criticism of Morocco creates a problem for him, as his visit to the US on Wednesday showed.

A day after telling renowned CNN journalist Christiane Amanpour that Spain had called for "action and responses" from Morocco in light of the evidence that its border controls had "failed" on 30 and 31 July, Sánchez stated that he had no complaints regarding the cooperation of the Moroccan authorities.

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At a press conference for the UN General Assembly in New York, Sánchez highlighted that the two calls for further mass crossings into Ceuta on 15 August and 23 September never materialised.

Minister for Foreign Affairs José Manuel Albares stated on Monday that he had been in contact with Morocco to urge it to exercise the utmost caution on 23 September and help counter the calls to action on social media.

"We have seen a significant deployment at both the Ceuta and Melilla borders and this has to be acknowledged by the politicians who are quick to criticise," Sánchez said.

"When I say we have asked Morocco for information and action, this is what I am referring to. I have not said anything new that I have not said since the start of the crisis. I do say that we want to further strengthen the borders in cities that present particular challenges due to their topography," the PM stated.

During the same press conference, Sánchez also went to great lengths to play down his decision not to attend the reception hosted the previous evening by Donald Trump at the Lottus Hotel for international leaders taking part in the 81st UN General Assembly. He dismissed the suggestion that this could have repercussions on relations between Spain and the US and denied that it was a deliberate gesture intended to project an "anti-Trump" image.

"We dont need photo opportunities. We want to work on matters of common interest. It's not as though there is an agenda directed against anyone. We set the agenda that we believe best serves the general interest," Sánchez stated.

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