Moroccan Prime Minister Saad Eddine El Othmani met with his visiting Spanish counterpart Pedro Sanchez on Monday to discuss the unprecedented hike in illegal immigration.

With Spain just about 14 km away, illegal immigrants are increasingly using the Morocco's Mediterranean coast to reach Europe.

According to the International Organization for Migration, 50,440 migrants and refugees had entered Spain by sea in 2018 by Nov. 14, more than all arrivals combined from 2015 to 2017.

In October alone, more than 11,000 migrants travelled by sea to Spain.

The two officials also hailed their bilateral cooperation in handling the migration flow, reaffirming their determination for more joint efforts to fight illegal immigration.

According to the Moroccan Interior Ministry, the authorities have foiled some 68,000 illegal immigration attempts between January and September.

For his part, Sanchez praised Morocco's efforts to tackle the illegal immigration, highlighting the importance of bilateral cooperation in this area.

Meanwhile, the two leaders commended the "excellent" relations between the two countries and convergence of views on many issues of common interest.

They also praised the level of cooperation between the two countries in addressing multiple challenges related to development, security and stability in Africa, the Mediterranean and the Middle East.