Morocco, Spain Resume Cooperation on Migration after Normalizing Relations

Spanish troops at El-Tarajal beach, near the Spanish-Moroccan (Reuters)
Spanish troops at El-Tarajal beach, near the Spanish-Moroccan (Reuters)
TT
20

Morocco, Spain Resume Cooperation on Migration after Normalizing Relations

Spanish troops at El-Tarajal beach, near the Spanish-Moroccan (Reuters)
Spanish troops at El-Tarajal beach, near the Spanish-Moroccan (Reuters)

The Moroccan-Spanish Joint Committee held its meeting to prepare Operation Crossing the Strait (OPE) 2022 this Thursday in Rabat.

The Committee facilitates the transit of Moroccan citizens living abroad during the summer.

The meeting was co-chaired by Moroccan Director of Migration and Border Surveillance Khalid Zerouali and Spain’s Undersecretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Isabel Goicoechea.

A joint statement issued after the meeting announced that it comes within the framework of implementing the roadmap established during the meeting last April between Spanish President Pedro Sanchez and the King of Morocco, Mohamed VI.

The discussions focused on the operational arrangements put in place by the two parties, similar to those adopted in 2019, to ensure that the 2022 transit process is conducted in the best conditions.

The measures are based on several factors, including the fluidity and security of transit, assistance to travelers, and the prevention and protection of public health.

The parties also agreed on an essential plan for sailing, which provides offers regarding the daily capacity of passenger transport, vehicles, rotation, and sea connection.

They also issued directives to mobilize necessary logistics and human resources at ports and airports through measures of social assistance monitored by the Mohammed V Foundation for Solidarity in Morocco and abroad.

The two sides discussed plans to guarantee an adequate supply for the daily traffic of passengers and vehicles. The reinforcements of troops will be mobilized in the ports to ensure transit, both from Europe to Africa and vice versa.

They agreed to reinforce and coordinate information exchange channels to continue working on aspects such as the management of peak travel days, the possibility of exchanging tickets, and other conditions for maritime crossings.



Syrian Interior Ministry Arrests ISIS Cell Responsible for Church Attack

People gather at Mar Elias Church in the Dweila neighborhood of Damascus following the suicide bombing on Sunday, June 22, 2025 (EPA) 
People gather at Mar Elias Church in the Dweila neighborhood of Damascus following the suicide bombing on Sunday, June 22, 2025 (EPA) 
TT
20

Syrian Interior Ministry Arrests ISIS Cell Responsible for Church Attack

People gather at Mar Elias Church in the Dweila neighborhood of Damascus following the suicide bombing on Sunday, June 22, 2025 (EPA) 
People gather at Mar Elias Church in the Dweila neighborhood of Damascus following the suicide bombing on Sunday, June 22, 2025 (EPA) 

Hours after Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa vowed that those involved in a “heinous” suicide attack on a Damascus church a day earlier would face justice, Syria’s Interior Ministry said authorities had arrested several suspects in connection with the attack.

The shooting and suicide bombing Sunday at the Mar Elias church in the Dweila district of the Syrian capital killed 25 people and injured 63 others, according to the Health Ministry.

“In coordination with the General Intelligence Service, the Ministry carried out security operations against ISIS-linked terrorist cells in the Damascus countryside, arresting a cell leader and five members, and killing two others affiliated with the terrorist attack on Mar Elias Church in Damascus,” the Syrian Interior Ministry said in a statement on Monday.

“During the raid, quantities of weapons and ammunition were seized, in addition to explosive vests and mines. A motorcycle bomb that had been prepared for detonation was also found,” it said.

On Monday, the Syrian President expressed his deepest condolences to the families of the victims of the church bombing.

He said “this heinous crime that targeted innocent people in their worship places reminds us of the importance of solidarity and unity –government and people- in confronting threats to our security and the stability of our country.”

Sharaa added, “Today, we all stand united, rejecting injustice and crime in all its forms. We pledge to the victims that we will work day and night, mobilizing all our specialized security services, to apprehend all those who participated in and planned this heinous crime and bring them to justice to face their just punishment.”

The attack is the first such bombing in Damascus since the fall of Bashar Assad’s regime. It raised fear among the people.

Commenting on the attack, a man in his 70s described the attack as “a huge and horrible strike,” stressing the need for “the authorities to tighten security measures on churches, all places of worship, and busy places.”

On Monday, Asharq Al-Awsat spotted heavy deployment of local security agents in the capital’s neighborhoods and major roads, amid heightened security measures.

Adbdulrahman Alhaj, a researcher in Islamic studies, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Interior Ministry statement that linked the attack to an ISIS suicide attack is a suggestion that the ministry’s spokesman Noureddine Al-Baba had mentioned in his Sunday press briefing.

Alhaj said he supports the ministry’s conclusions as ISIS had recently issued several threats signaling plans to confront the new regime in Damascus particularly, al-Sharaa.