Bourita, Albares set for first in-person talks since July Ceuta crisis

Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita and his Spanish counterpart José Manuel Albares are expected to meet in New York this week for their first publicly reported face-to-face meeting since the mass crossings into Ceuta on July 30 and 31.

The two ministers have remained in frequent contact by phone since the crisis, with Spanish officials saying Albares speaks with Bourita almost daily. But no in-person meeting between the two has been publicly reported since the July events.

Their UN General Assembly meeting is expected to focus on the return of migrants who remain in Ceuta and on online calls for another mass crossing on September 23, the day Morocco holds parliamentary elections.

Albares said the exact date of the meeting had not yet been fixed, but confirmed it would take place in New York during UNGA high-level week.

Spanish authorities have also launched messaging aimed at countering claims that migrants who enter Ceuta irregularly will be allowed to remain there or continue to mainland Europe.

The talks are also expected to cover the return of migrants who entered Ceuta during the July 30-31 crossings and remain in the city. Albares has said returns would continue on an individual basis where migrants do not qualify for international protection.

Albares said earlier this month that Spain would not negotiate the sovereignty of the two cities with Morocco.

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