Spanish Foreign Minister Garcia-Margallo to Eurofora on EU Border Deal with Morocco on Migrants+

*Strasbourg/CoE/Angelo Marcopolo/- Speaking to "Eurofora" after Adressing PanEuropean CoE's Assembly just before it starts debating and Voting about the controversial EU-Ankara Deal on Mass Asylulm Seekers/Migrants' influx through Turkey, via EU (and Shenghen) Member Greece, Spanish Foreign Minister, José Manuel Garcia-Margallo, confirmed that a Differend and pre-existing Spain-Morocco Deal on EU's External Borders to Africa, continues to function Properly, but also as a part of an overall set of Agreements :

- "Eurofora" asked the Spanish Minister how he feels Now about that Agreement with Morocco about Migrants, reminding that it had been recently Praised by an Important hristianDemocrat/EPP Summit of Heads of State/Government, (which included German Chancelor Angie Merkel, and other EU Leaders), organized Last Year in Madrid, (See Infra).

- Garcia - Margallo, after reminding, with a smile, that he has already spend more than 17 Years in Strasbourg, particularly at the nearby EU Parliament, as a mainstream MEP, where we had met for the 1st time a few years ago, as well as shortly after he had been appointed as Minister for Foreign Affairs, went on to Add that Spain's and Morocco's relatiop were placed in a Wider Context :

=> - "With Morocco, we (External EU Borderline Member Country Spain) have a Close Relationship", he stressed from the outset, in Reply to our Question.

- It extends "both on Political, Cultural, Economic, and Migration issues", the experienced Spanish Minister added.

- And it's, indeed, still Working quite Well, Garcia-Margallo agreed with "Eurofora", in Conclusion, as far as it concerns, specificaly, the currently Topical matter of Asylum Seekers/irregular Migrants.

Regarding which, as it's well known, only a Few People risked to be drown in the Sea, instead of many Hundreds of Dead at the Turkish Borders in the Aegean, without any "Tsunami" of Mass Asylum Seekers/irregular Migrants ever rushing towards Madrid and Paris, etc., Contrary to what happened recently with More than 1 Million of People suddenly rushing through Turkey to cross EU's Borders via Greece towards FYROM, Serbia, Hungary, Austria, Germany and other EU Countries.

Moreover,  this, without Morocco, (behind which stands the Huge African Continent, currently plenty of various Conflicts, even Terrorism, including ISIS-related, Poverty, etc., despite the existene, also, of several Natural Resources, almost like the Middle East area), ever Asking, during all these Recent Years, to boost any "Accesion" process in order to Enter into the EU, Neither to Pay it 6 Billions €, Nor to give (already from June 2016) a "Visa-Free" status for almost 80 Millions of Population, (as that of Turkey's, according to the Latest Statistical Data of 2016), due to become able to Enter inside the EU at any moment after that, (etc). Contrary to what Ankara notoriously Requested from the EU in order to accept to take Back just a Small Number of the Mass Irregular Migrants that mainly Turkish Smugglers had brought at the Aegean Sea's EU External Borders, provoking a Massive phenomenon of Huge Population Movements without any precedent in Modern History.

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- "The Western Mediterranean Model between Spain and Morocco should be used as a positive Example", stressed, a few Months ago, the Resolution on the "Emergency" for "Protecting Refugees - Securing EU's External Borders", adopted by the latest Heads of State/Government Congress of the ChristianDemocrat/EPP Parties, headed by President Joseph Daul, which was organized last October 2015 in Madrid.
 

The move came while EU seeked to "reinforce its External Borders by stepping up border Controls ... to Prevent illegal Crossings", "both at Sea and on Land, ...in the Southern Mediterranean, the Aegean Sea and along the “Balkan route”, as part of the "No 1" Priority to "Guard and Protect (EU's) External Borders", acording to that October 21-22 EPP Congress' Resolution.

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- "in Europe right now, the Migration crisis is the most Pressing, ...complex and immense Challenge which is truly European—it affects all of us and we need to find a common Solution that works from Scandinavia to the Mediterranean, and from the Black Sea to the Atlantic"... "We must Start by finding a European solution to Securing our External EU Borders, which means finding a European approach to Border Control and strengthening our European agencies, such as Frontex". "We are and will remain committed to Helping those in Need, but we must ensure the Security of our Citizens as our first Priority", Warned President Daul with a Premonitory instict.

  Indeed, he had published that, already, as early as since the 15 October 2015, i.e. less than 1 Month before the Deadly Terrorist Attacks against Civilian People in Paris, by Islamist Extremists of ISIL's atrocious BeHeaders, even of innocent unarmed People, on November 13, 2015, in relation of which almost 40 ISIL's Terrorists reportedly crossed  EU's External Borders through Turkey, via EU (and Shenghen) Member Greece, by Hiding among the above-mentioned Massive Asylum Seekers/irrefular Migrants "Tsunami" triggered by mainly Turkish Smugglers at the Aegean Sea, for the First Time in History, all out of a Sudden.

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A Different situation exists between EU Member Spain and the Neighbouriing African Countries, the Spanish Foreign Minister explainedearlier Today, in a Wider overview :

- "Spain has special relations with northern African countries. Those relations have allowed to us Control Migratory phenomena pretty Satisfactorily, without creating problems for our European associates", he pointed out.

-  "It is Essential to Collaborate with Countries of Origin and Transit, to have Border Controls to avoid irregular immigration, to establish a means of Regular immigration, and to Retain those immigrants in the societies in which they live, to Avoid Ghettoes, which exist in some European Countries. That policy has been very successful in the past 4 Years. We have collaborated with Morocco, Mauritania and Senegal".

=> Thus, "in 2015, the increase in irregular immigration was 15%". But "in Italy, the figure was more than 270%, as a fundamental consequence of events in Libya. There is also the position in the western Balkans", with that notorious, unprecedented Huge "Tsunami" of Massive Asylum Seekers/Migrants' flows through Turkey and via EU Member Greece, he reminded, in comparison...

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Garcia - Margallo made it clear, earlier, that Spain considered that EU - Turkey controversial Deal only as "an Emergency" Measure, and "Not a Final Solution".

Such Massive "Displacements of Populations" had Never been seen before "Since the 2nd World War", he observed.

However, Spain requested, during EU Decision-making, the Respect of International Legality, the Exclusion of Collective Expulsions, and the Individual Investigation of each Asylum Seeker's case, he added, in Reply to Questions also by the Head of the Gzerman Delegation to CoE's Parliamentary Assembly, mainstream ChristianDemocrat/EPP MEP, Axel Fischer.

Meanwhile, "International", UN-sponsored efforts to "Bring Together all Parties to the Conflict" in Syria and other affected areas, were recently supported by Spain, France, and other Countries through the UN HQ at New York, he pointed out.

In this regard, the experienced Spanish Foreign Minister, expressed his Regret for the Fact that "Ukraine" Crisis "Prevented us (EU) from establishing a Strategic Partnership with Russia, which would have been of Tremendous Importance", (particularly on Fighting Efficiently against ISIS' Deadly Terrorism's threats, etc).