In a statement, the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MAI) confirmed that during a videoconference meeting that brought together Eduardo Cabrita and Abdelouafi Laftit to discuss the arrival of Moroccan migrants to the Algarve over the past months.

According to MAI, the ministers underlined the necessity of keeping and intensifying the cooperation between the two countries, regarding the relationship between Morocco and the European Union, within the scope of “prevention and the fight against illegal migration and human trafficking.”

Highlighted was the arrival to Portugal of a group of 21 migrants, coming from Morroco, which was stopped in Ilha do Farol, Faro, the fifth group of migrants to arrive in the area since December 2019.

Besides agreeing on the reinforcement of prevention against illegal migration, the government officials equally expressed the importance of concluding the negotiations regarding an agreement for the legal migration between Portugal and Morocco.

MAI adds that both officials also discussed the updating, already underway, of the Civil Protection agreement between the two countries, underlining their importance in mutual assistance in emergencies.