Spain rejects ban on arms exports to Morocco

The Spanish government has rejected an initiative by its allies in a party called Sumar to impose an embargo on arms sales to Morocco. «Spain's defense exports comply with national, European, and international regulations, all of which prioritize international humanitarian law and peace and security», said the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, in his response to a written question from Sumar MPs.

In Spain, parties are taking turns to call for the suspension of arms sales to Morocco. In December 2020, MPs from the Catalan Republican Left had defended the same demand in a non-binding proposal to the government.

Spain remains a small supplier of weapons to the Royal Armed Forces (FAR). The record for Spanish sales was set in 2008, when 113.9 million euros were spent on military transport vehicles. In 2020, Rabat ordered only 12 million euros worth of Spanish weapons, compared to 9.7 million euros in 2014.

In October 2022, the Moroccan government had given the go-ahead for a €95-million loan, concluded on August 31, 2022 between Morocco and Banco Santander S.A, to finance the commercial contract signed between the National Defense Administration and the Spanish public company Navantia S.A for the construction of a patrol boat for the Royal Moroccan Navy.