Said Temsamani
At the invitation of King Mohammed VI, Spain’s King Juan Carlos will make a state visit to Morocco. This is the first time that the King of Spain will be on an official visit abroad after his hip surgery last November. His medical problems have sometimes forced to cancel his trips.
This visit is pregnant with meaning since the Spanish-Moroccan relations have witnessed ups and downs but the relations between the two monarchs has always been friendly and family like. In fact the close relations between the two royal families have always been tied and have never been impacted by frequent political and trade misunderstanding between the two neighboring countries.
King Juan Carlos’s visit to Morocco was in May 2011 following the Marrakesh terrorist on April 2011 that killed 17 people in the city of Marrakech. The blast, from a bomb left in a bag that destroyed the Argana cafe in Jemaa el-fnaa square, a popular tourist spot. At least 20 people were injured. Most of the dead were tourists, including one group of French students. King Juan Carlos decided at that time to visit personally King Mohammed to show and reiterate Spain’s full and unconditional support to Morocco.
This time, the visit will aim to give a new impetus to the bilateral relations between the two nations. Spain and Morocco have a lot in common and a strong and efficient joint collaboration can benefit the two countries on various levels. Morocco and Spain could inaugurate a new partnership with new tools, new instruments and a new vision. The vision is to reinforce their political dialogue and to give priority to business because today what is important is how to do business. The partnership will benefit both countries.
Spain could bring its experience to Moroccan in the fields where there is a need and will also provide it with the techniques Spain developed. Spain has around 20,000 small and medium-sized businesses that export to Morocco and is keen to keep its share of the Moroccan market.
Morocco is looking to diversify its markets and doing all it can to attract foreign investments in a difficult climate.
In the coming months, the King of Spain will be in Florida, USA, to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the arrival of Ponce Leon, a Spanish explorer. Juan Ponce de León was a Spanish explorer and conquistador. He became the first Governor of Puerto Rico by appointment of the Spanish crown. He led the first European expedition to Florida, which he named.
Said Temsamani is a Moroccan political observer and consultant, who follows events in his country and across North Africa. He is a Senior Fellow, Merdian International Center Washington DC, Founder and CEO “Public Initiatives” Consulting firm and Former Senior Political Advisor, US Embassy Rabat, Morocco.
.
