RABAT – Spain’s Crown Prince Felipe emphasized on Thursday the “enormous importance” his country places on its relations with Morocco, and he noted their common efforts in the fight against terrorism and against illegal immigration networks.

Felipe gave a speech in Rabat at the inauguration of the new facilities of the Cervantes Institute in the Moroccan capital, an event at which he was accompanied by his wife, Princess Letizia, as well as by Prince Mulay Rachid, the brother of King Mohammed VI of Morocco, and the two countries’ respective foreign ministers.

The Spanish prince emphasized the “excellent state of bilateral relations” that, in his judgment, translates into the “firm willingness to deal jointly with the challenges encountered on that road.”

“I’m referring to concrete questions of great concern, like the fight against terrorism – which relies on intense judicial and police cooperation between our two countries – or the common efforts against the tragedy of those who migrate in search of new living and work possibilities and fall into the hands of criminal networks that abuse their good faith,” the prince said.

Another of the areas of understanding between the two countries, Felipe noted, is the “dynamic” presence of Spanish companies in the neighboring country and the Moroccan community in Spain.

The prince put special emphasis on the 400 cultural activities organized by the Spanish Embassy and by the Cervantes Institute offices in Morocco.

Morocco, following Brazil, is the country with the second-largest number of Cervantes Institute centers, with six offices in Rabat, Casablanca, Fez, Tangier, Tetouan and Marrakech, the last of which was inaugurated by Felipe and Letizia two years ago. EFE