Sharjah24 – AFP: A Spanish ferry docked in Morocco's Tangiers port Tuesday for the first time in two years, after a pandemic and a diplomatic crisis had left thousands stranded across the Mediterranean.
Spain and Morocco reopened ferry links days after Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez visited the North African kingdom to draw a line under a year-long diplomatic crisis.
The busy, 14-kilometre (nine-mile) route across the Strait of Gibraltar had originally been shut in March 2020 when Morocco closed transport links with Europe over the coronavirus pandemic.
A year later, Morocco became embroiled in a dispute with Spain after Madrid allowed Western Saharan independence leader Brahim Ghali to be treated for Covid-19 at a Spanish hospital.
Rabat, which sees the Western Sahara as an integral part of its territory, upheld the blockade between some of the largest ports on the Mediterranean for over two years.
The maritime borders reopened last summer -- but connections between Tangiers and Spain's Algeciras and Tarifa ports had remained cut.
For an optimal experience, please
