Canary Islands Excluded from Spain‑Morocco Summit

The President of the Canary Islands, Fernando Clavijo, said he “takes note” of the fact that the State has excluded the archipelago from the summit with Morocco taking place this Thursday. He added that the central government should not be surprised if, in the future, the autonomous community disagrees with any foreign‑policy decisions.

Clavijo made these remarks in a press briefing on Thursday, emphasizing that he expects the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, once the meeting ends, to contact the Canary Executive and convey what was discussed.

He reminded that the Statute of Autonomy and the Canary Agenda state that, although the autonomous community is not responsible for foreign affairs, it must be present.

“Obviously the archipelago will be discussed and we continue to consider this a breach of the Canary Agenda. Institutional loyalty must be upheld by both the Government of Spain and that of the Canary Islands,” he asserted.

For Clavijo, it is “not acceptable” that the meeting be moved away from the Canary Islands, not only for the regional government but for the islands as a whole.

“We take note and in the future we will talk,” he reiterated.

When questioned about Polisario statements claiming that, after Western Sahara, Morocco would set its sights on the Canary Islands, the president said he disagrees with those claims, describing the situation as “totally different”.

“More than what Morocco can do, defending its legitimate interests, I focus on what the Spanish Government is doing, which is to sideline and ignore the Canary Islands in this type of relations, which is what matters to me.”