Melilla President welcomes routine royal visits to Ceuta and Melilla

Juan José Imbroda, the president of Melilla, has welcomed the upcoming visits of King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia to the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla, scheduled for October 13 and 14 respectively. Imbroda emphasized that these visits should be treated as “routine,” comparable to visits to any other Spanish city such as Cuenca or Toledo.

Imbroda criticized previous management of royal visits, suggesting they were often handled with excessive caution to avoid upsetting Morocco. He argued that Spanish institutional presence in the cities should not be conditioned by relations with Rabat, asserting that Ceuta and Melilla are integral parts of Spain. He further rejected territorial claims made by Morocco based on geographic proximity.

The local government is currently awaiting the official agenda from the Royal House (Zarzuela) to finalize the program. It is anticipated that a large public event will take place in Melilla on October 14, featuring a speech by King Felipe VI.