The Canary Coalition has raised ecological concerns regarding the Royal Moroccan Navy’s naval exercises in Saharan waters and is requesting information from the Spanish government about these maneuvers near the Canary Islands. Cristina Valido, the sole representative of this Coalition in the Spanish Congress, highlights the “potential risk to marine biodiversity,” particularly for cetaceans in the area near Fuerteventura.
The Canary Coalition has voiced its concerns about the Moroccan naval exercises in Saharan waters, citing “ecological considerations” in its request for information to the Spanish government regarding these maneuvers.
Cristina Valido, representing the Canary Coalition in the Spanish Congress, warned on Wednesday about the ecological risks of the Moroccan military maneuvers at sea north of Fuerteventura, an area where cetaceans live and which constitutes an “oceanic corridor” conducive to biodiversity, according to eldiario.es. She therefore demanded that Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares provide information on the military exercises planned by Morocco starting September 1, about 140 kilometers from Fuerteventura, the Spanish media reports.
Cristina Valido asked the Foreign Minister what information the Spanish government had about the maneuvers so close to the archipelago and what details his ministry had communicated to the Canary government regarding these new Moroccan military exercises near the Canary Islands, eldiario.es reports.
It is noteworthy that the Canary government has not expressed any concerns regarding these exercises. Nieves Lady Barreto, the Counselor of the Presidency, Public Administration, Justice, and Security for the Canary Islands government, stated earlier this month that the exercises would take place far from the median line separating the Canary Islands from Morocco. She also added, according to “diariodeavisos,” that the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs had already informed the Canary Islands executive about the Royal Navy’s maneuvers.
The announcement of these exercises, the second of the year off the Moroccan Sahara, scheduled from September 1 to December 31, from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the maritime zone off Laayoune (20 nautical miles from coordinates L 26° 50′ N and G 014° 00′ W), has also irritated the far-left coalition Sumar, close to the Polisario. Deputy Tesh Sidi had asked the Spanish ministers of Defense and Foreign Affairs if Morocco had informed Spain about the organization of these exercises.
