The clock was showing seven minutes past ten in the evening when Pedro Sanchez He reappeared, after his holidays in Lanzarote and almost an hour late, live from Mauritania, the first of the three countries that are part of his African tour. The last time he appeared in front of the cameras was on July 31, to take stock of political developments, just one day after refusing to appear before Judge Peinado de La Moncloa as a witness in the case of his wife, Begoña Gómez.
On this occasion, he did so surrounded by the Mauritanian president, whom he has always described as “my friend” to show the good relations that Spain has with the African country, a gesture that Mohamed Uld Ghazuani himself shared.
In the midst of a migration crisis, with a twenty-fold increase in arrivals in the Canary Islands over the last five years and more than 500 attempts to enter Ceuta per day, the leader of the Spanish Executive assured that Immigration is “wealth”, “development” and “property” because the contribution of these people to the Spanish economy is “fundamental”. “It is not a problem”, he wanted to clarify, but “a need that leads to certain problems”. In this sense, he recalled that “until not so long ago, Spain was a country of immigrants”: “Our compatriots aspired to a better life, as do many people who undertake this dangerous adventure now”, he explained.
After the meeting between the two leaders, the Spaniard announced, among other measures, that Spain was committed another 500 thousand euros strengthen the defense and security of this key country in the Sahel. The previous visit of the President of the Spanish government to Mauritania was only seven months ago, in February, accompanied by the President of the European Commission, Ursula Von der Leyen, and with the same objective: to slow down the number of pirogues leaving its territory. coasts – In January of this year, 83 percent of arrivals in this archipelago came from Mauritania.
On that occasion, one of the initiatives announced by the two leaders was an aid program of up to 210 million euros in community funds to contain illegal immigration before it reaches European borders, in addition to the additional 300 million committed by Spain for the next five years for projects in that country, thus becoming the African nation that currently receives the most money from the EU.
Next Cervantes Institute
Among the measures announced yesterday evening by the Spanish president, beyond this financial provision for the training of Mauritanian police officers, are the creation of a Spanish-Mauritanian business council to promote economic and commercial relations between the two countries, the launch next fall of activities of the Cervantes Institute such as “first step towards the creation of a headquarters in this country, as it already exists in Dakar (Senegal), the third stop on his African tour of the countries of origin of immigrants arriving in Spain. Sánchez also reported on the holding, next year, of the first High-Level Meeting (RAN) between Spain and Mauritania, in the latter’s capital, Nuankchott.
In the fall, the activities of the Cervantes Institute will be launched in the country as a “first step” to establish a headquarters
The other two measures proclaimed by the socialist were a memorandum of understanding with his African counterpart to bet on a “regular and circular” immigrant flows, and a declaration aimed at strengthening collaboration in matters of security and the fight against organised crime, in particular, the Spanish stressed, against human trafficking networks.
After crossing Mauritania, the African country that currently receives the most funding from the European Union, Sánchez will travel to Gambia in what will be his first visit to Africa’s smallest country. In addition to meeting its president, Adama Barrow, he will meet with members of the Civil Guard and the National Police who cooperate with Gambian authorities in combating immigration and monitoring borders. There are currently six Civil Guards and four National Police officers stationed in the country.
Next year, the first high-level meeting between the two countries will take place with the African country as host.
Finally, tomorrow, Sánchez will travel to Senegal. There he will visit the Cervantes Institute in Dakar, the first in all of sub-Saharan Africa and whose foundation stone was laid by Sánchez himself in April 2021. In addition to meeting Spanish businessmen, he will meet for the first time the Senegalese President, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, elected last March and with whom he will also sign agreements, as well as with the Prime Minister, Ousmane Sonko.
