Vivas conveys to the King the hope of an official visit to Ceuta

The president of Ceuta, Juan Vivas, conveyed to King Felipe VI on Thursday his hope that the monarch would make an official visit to the autonomous city, according to several Spanish media reports. The meeting took place at the Marivent Palace, the Royal Family's summer residence in Palma de Mallorca.

Vivas thanked the King for his warmth and support for Ceuta, and discussed with him the situation at the border with Morocco. In remarks reported by 20minutos, the Ceuta president said the border is in the hands of a third country that does not recognise Ceuta's sovereignty, a situation which, in his view, leaves the city in a position of institutional vulnerability.

No date set for the King's visit to Ceuta

Spanish press sources, including ABC and OKDiario, agree that the King's future visit to Ceuta was one of the matters raised during the audience. Vivas confirmed that the subject was addressed at the meeting, though he said he could not venture a date for it.

The meeting comes in the midst of a diplomatic crisis with Morocco over border control. The encounter carries a political reading that goes beyond the merely ceremonial: the central government and the Ceuta executive are seeking a common position in the face of Moroccan pressure on the autonomous city's borders. The Royal Household, according to the press, is acting as an institutional channel of communication at this juncture.

The Marivent gesture reinforces institutional backing for a city which, in its president's words, feels unprotected in the face of a neighbouring country that does not recognise Spanish sovereignty over the territory. The King's eventual visit to Ceuta, still undated, would thus stand as a symbol of that support in a context of bilateral tension that shows no signs of easing.

Piece written and translated automatically from cross-checked sources in several countries.