Spain and Mauritania reach four agreements on transport, social security, cybersecurity and national parks

Nouakchott (Islamic Republic of Mauritania)

The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, and the President of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, during the plenary meeting with the Spanish and Mauritanian delegations. (Pool Moncloa/Fernando Calvo)

The President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, and the President of Mauritania, Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, have signed a joint declaration to strengthen cooperation between Spain and Mauritania within the framework of the first High-Level Meeting (HLM) between the two countries. At this meeting, held in Nouakchott, the capital of the African country, four agreements were also reached on transport, social security, cybersecurity and national parks, and the excellent Spanish-Mauritanian relationship and the desire to strengthen collaboration in other matters of bilateral interest, such as migration, security, economic development, fishing and Spanish language teaching, were also made clear.

The third vice-president and six Spanish ministers took part in the HLM together with their Mauritanian counterparts, a representation that, according to Pedro Sánchez, shows "the breadth and depth of our current cooperation with Mauritania", as well as the firm bilateral will to continue deepening ties and extending them to new areas. "In addition to the traditional collaboration in fisheries and cooperation, our bilateral relationship is becoming increasingly important in other areas, such as economics and business, migration and security, but also in other fields, such as culture," explained the President of the Government of Spain.

Joint declaration

The joint statement reflects the willingness of both sides to strengthen bilateral political dialogue and on issues of regional and global concern. The two countries express their commitment to a more just international order and a more democratic multilateralism, as well as their adherence to the purposes and principles embodied in the United Nations Charter. In this regard, the text states the "satisfaction" of both countries with the "renewed global framework for financing for development adopted at the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development", held in Seville in late June and early July, and expresses Spain's thanks for Mauritania's "active participation at the highest level" in that summit.

With regard to bilateral matters, the declaration includes the will to strengthen reinforced cooperation based on neighbourliness, mutual trust and collaboration in multiple areas, including migration, with a comprehensive approach that recognises the "positive contribution of orderly, regular and safe migration to inclusive growth and sustainable development", as well as the "need to continue working together in the fight against criminal networks related to migration". The text also calls for a joint deepening of economic and trade relations, fisheries, transport, ecological transition, security and defence cooperation, and cooperation in the judicial and criminal fields.

The declaration underlines the importance of culture as a "tool for bringing peoples closer together", and includes the will of the parties to "advance mutual knowledge, cultural and educational exchanges between their respective societies and to strengthen support for the learning of Spanish". In this regard, as part of the HLM, the Minister for Foreign Affairs inaugurated on Thursday the facilities of the new extension of the Cervantes Institute in Nouakchott, which will promote the teaching of Spanish language and culture in the African country.

Four agreements

In addition to the joint declaration, the ministerial delegations of the two countries signed four bilateral agreements. Firstly, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in the field of Transport and Infrastructure, which establishes a framework for cooperation to collaborate on strategic planning, railway development, airport management, air navigation, sustainability, digitalisation and to implement joint projects.

A MOU on National Parks has also been signed, which will strengthen cooperation in the management of these natural areas and biosphere reserves, and promotes the exchange of experiences and training on biodiversity, ecosystem restoration and environmental education.

The third agreement is a declaration of intent for cooperation in the field of social security, with the aim of strengthening bilateral cooperation, especially in relation to the protection of migrant workers.

Finally, a MOU on cybersecurity was signed between the National Cybersecurity Institute (INCIBE) and its Mauritanian counterpart. It establishes a framework for bilateral cooperation to strengthen digital capabilities and cyber resilience through the exchange of threat information, child protection, specialised training and academic collaboration.

In addition to the major agreements, the ministerial meetings enabled the strengthening of cooperation in other areas, such as fisheries, with Spain making available the Intermares fishing cooperation training vessel to provide nautical-fishing training to Mauritanian professionals in the ports of Nouadhibou and Nouakchott in 2026.