Spain, Morocco hold summit amid Spanish coalition split on Western Sahara issue

OVIEDO, Spain

Spain and Morocco held a high-level meeting in Madrid on Thursday to deepen bilateral ties, even as tensions flared within Spain’s coalition government over the Western Sahara issue.

Spain’s government described the timing of the summit as “especially positive” for bilateral relations, underlining strong human and economic links with Morocco. In 2024, trade between the Mediterranean neighbors reached a record €22.6 billion ($24.3 billion).

During the meeting, attended by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, his Moroccan counterpart Aziz Akhannouch, and several government ministers, the countries signed 14 cooperation agreements.

The summit comes weeks after the UN Security Council endorsed Morocco’s autonomy plan for the Western Sahara region. The move has been supported by Spain’s Socialist-led government but fiercely opposed by its coalition partner Sumar, whose government ministers – including Deputy Prime Minister Yolanda Diaz – boycotted the summit.

“We cannot yield a centimeter of Sahrawi land,” Diaz said on social media network Bluesky, reiterating Sumar’s support for a self-determination referendum. Sahrawi Spanish MP Tesh Sidi also accused Sanchez’s party of bending to Rabat’s interests on the region, which was under Spanish rule until 1975.

The Polisario Front, which seeks independence for Western Sahara, warned that Morocco’s ambitions could eventually threaten Spain’s Canary Islands. Its Spain-based representative, Abdulah Arabi, said the group will remain “vigilant” regarding the summit's agreements.

Despite the tensions, the leaders of Spain and Morocco celebrated the signing of the agreements, including on digital public administration, tax cooperation, disaster risk reduction, feminist diplomacy, and the fight against hate speech and disinformation.

Sanchez also pointed to the 2030 FIFA World Cup, which Spain and Morocco are due to co-host alongside Portugal, as an opportunity to further economic and infrastructure collaboration.

Ahead of the summit, more than 100 Spanish and Moroccan business leaders met in Madrid, pledging to deepen cooperation in strategic areas such as water management, mobility, and green energy.