The Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, José Manuel Albares, met today at the headquarters of the ministerial department in Madrid with the presidents of the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla, Juan Jesús Vivas and Eduardo de Castro, respectively.
At both meetings, held at the request of the regional presidents, issues of interest were addressed for these cities following the recent high-level meeting in Rabat.
These issues included addressing the development of the process of the gradual and orderly opening of the commercial customs posts in Ceuta and Melilla and the continued tests being carried out under the schedule agreed with Morocco, as reflected in the Joint Declaration of the high-level meeting.
Furthermore, both the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Juan Jesús Vivas and Eduardo de Castro agreed on the need to avoid any repetition of the scenes of the past and return to the so-called atypical trade. To that end, it is essential to continue the full normalisation process of the border and customs regime, in line with international standards.
Lastly, the minister and the two regional presidents also welcomed the positive effects that the normalisation process is already having in both autonomous cities.
-NON OFFICIAL TRANSLATION-