Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez travelled to Nouakchott on Wednesday for the first High-Level Meeting between Spain and Mauritania, accompanied by seven cabinet ministers. Standing alongside President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, Sánchez stressed that Spain’s economic progress "owes much to immigration" and called for migration that is “safe, regular and orderly.” The visit follows several nights of anti-migrant unrest in the town of Torre Pacheco, Murcia, which has intensified domestic debate over immigration policy. By invoking Spain’s own history as a country of emigrants, Sánchez sought to counter xenophobic rhetoric and underline the benefits of managed migration. Spain and Mauritania signed four cooperation agreements covering transport links, social-security collaboration, cyber-security and national-park management. The two governments also issued a joint declaration pledging to curb people-smuggling networks while expanding legal labour pathways. Sánchez announced that Spain will station its first economic and commercial attaché in Mauritania on 1 September and urged Spanish firms to deepen investment in the Sahelian state. Mauritania has become a key partner for Madrid because nearly half of the migrant boats that reached the Canary Islands last year—about 25,000 people—departed its coastline. Sánchez said closer economic ties and strengthened maritime surveillance are essential to manage these flows "for the mutual benefit of both societies."