“The first step of official merchandise since 2018.” This is how the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, has described the reopening of Melilla customs for the passage of a truck loaded with electrical appliances towards Morocco. Indeed, a truck with about 600 kilos of household appliances crossed the land border this Wednesday in what represents the first export after the reopening of commercial customs almost six and a half years after its unilateral closure by Rabat.
“I can confirm that today (this Wednesday), for the first time since 2018, there has been an official passage of goods from Melilla to Morocco,” said Albares in Beirut, where he has traveled to meet with the country’s new authorities. as a prior step to meeting those from Syria this Thursday.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs has indicated that “this is the first step in the first phase to achieve normalized customs.” According to Albares, this Wednesday’s step “is further proof that the roadmap and commitments of Spain and Morocco are fulfilled.”
And regarding next steps? “This is already a crucial step”; Albares said, “this is not proof. This has already happened in the past and it is simply a first official passage of goods. And when there are official announcements to make, I will make them.”
Albares has insisted that “the first official passage of goods from Melilla to Morocco since 2018 demonstrates the commitment of Morocco to Spain and of Spain to Morocco, in what is at all levels the best moment of our relationship.”
“And with respect to Ceuta,” he said, “the roadmap will also be fulfilled, but allow me to announce things as they occur.”
As Juan Francisco Pérez Quiles, owner of the exporting company, Agencia Quiles, confirmed to Efe, the vehicle managed to reach the Moroccan port of Beni-Enzar around one in the afternoon, two hours after it crossed the border after receive approval from Spanish customs.
This export occurs just a week after a first failed attempt carried out by the same company and which, as reported last Monday by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, was due to “technical problems” that needed to be solved.
As happened on January 8, the truck, which was loaded with refrigerators and air conditioning units, did not have any problems in the Spanish area of the border and has passed to the security zone of Morocco, whose authorities They have inspected the merchandise and the vehicle and, this time, they have considered the export valid.
Subsequently, he left the border security zone escorted by a police vehicle for transfer to the port area, where the exporters have paid the taxes and are waiting to obtain the necessary document to leave the port, which they have achieved late in the afternoon.
The owner of the Quiles Agency has confirmed to EFE that the truck, now with the document, was able to continue its journey towards Nador (Morocco) shortly before 8:00 p.m.
As EFE has been able to verify, the Government delegate in Melilla, Sabrina Moh, was present at the Beni-Enzar land border on Wednesday morning while this new attempt to export goods was taking place.
The commercial customs of Melilla, whose origin dates back to the times of Isabel II, had been closed since August 1, 2018 by a unilateral decision by Morocco.
On April 7, 2022, during the High Level Meeting (RAN) between Spain and Morocco held in Rabat, both countries announced “the construction of a new stage in their bilateral relationship.”
Both countries then signed a joint declaration that included in point 3 the reestablishment of “the full normalization of the movement of people and goods”, in an orderly manner and “including the appropriate customs and people control devices at land and maritime”.
Source: www.eldiario.es
