Former Spanish minister María Antonia Trujillo stated at a conference in the Moroccan city of Tetouan that the Spanish cities of Ceuta and Melilla “represent an affront to the territorial integrity of Morocco” and “are vestiges of the past that interfere” in its relations with Spain The former minister is participating these days in the congress “Relations between Morocco and Spain: yesterday and today”, organized by the Abdelmalek Essaadi University of Tetouan and which was inaugurated on Friday by the former president of the Spanish Government José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, with whom Trujillo held the Housing portfolio. During the conference she gave on Friday afternoon at the congress, collected this Saturday by El Faro de Ceuta, the minister stated that both the two Spanish cities located in the north of Morocco, as well as the islets of Spanish sovereignty along the Moroccan coast, are an “affront to the territorial integrity of Morocco”. “They are vestiges of the past that interfere with the economic and political independence of this country and with the good relations between the two countries,” said the former socialist minister. According to the Moroccan newspaper Rue20, which also echoes her words, the former minister He has also affirmed that Ceuta and Melilla “were Arabs for longer than they were Christian” and that for this reason “recourse to history, to historical fact, must be done with prudence and in this specific case the argument is debatable”. Trujillo: “The solution” for the autonomous cities and islets must be “political” Trujillo held the position of Minister of Education at the Spanish Embassy in Rabat until last May, when she was dismissed months before her term was completed and after that the Staff Board of the Spanish civil service in Morocco requested his dismissal in view of the complaints about his management. “Faced with the harmful effects of unhealthy borders, the political response is dialogue and not looking the other way or silence. .. The Moroccan claim (over the sovereignty of Ceuta and Melilla) is fully justified, inscribed in its national ideology and is inalienable”, El Faro de Ceuta has collected, citing the former minister, who continues to reside in the Maghreb country. And he added, as the Ceuta newspaper explained, that “the solution” for the autonomous cities and the Spanish islets must be “political.” “The weight of the historical and legal arguments, which exist and are relevant,” in favor of the Spanish nature of these territories, he added, “gives in the face of events that demand a political, ethical, reasonable and acceptable response for both countries through open and sincere dialogue.” His speech came hours after the inauguration of the congress by Zapatero, who in his speech supported the current president of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez, in his turn regarding Western Sahara, praising Morocco’s proposal for autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty for this disputed territory. The former Spanish president referred to the former minister Trujillo: “It is very satisfying to have the presence of María Antonia here, that she shared government tasks and that she is also so happy in Morocco, which says a lot.” Ceuta and Melilla reject Trujillo’s words The Government of the Autonomous City of Ceuta, chaired by Juan Jesús Vivas (PP), has described Trujillo’s words as “unacceptable institutional disloyalty”. The Government of Ceuta has pointed out that the “sovereignty and Spanishness of the two Autonomous Cities does not admit discussion or doubt”. For this reason, they understand that their words “suppose a profound ignorance of History and Law, as well as a lack of respect for the people of Ceuta and Melilla, that we are Spanish above any other condition”. The president of Melilla, Eduardo de Castro, for his part, has said that the former minister has been “disloyal” with her position and with Spain. “What she has said about Ceuta and Melilla has been unfair, disloyal and disproportionate,” he assured the media. “My harshest condemnation of these words, I don’t think anyone, whatever the party, agrees with those words. I totally disagree and I invite you to come to Melilla and see the reality because it seems to me that you live in another world,” he stated. The PSOE in both Ceuta and Melilla have also rejected Trujillo’s statements. From the socialism of Melilla, the words of the former minister have been described as “false and unacceptable”, while the Ceuta formation has pointed out that the Spanishness of the autonomous cities “does not admit discussion”.