Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez held talks with Moroccan counterpart Saad Eddine el Othmani on greater cooperation between their two countries on migration. "Migration is a shared responsibility and we must reinforce our cooperation in this area," Sanchez said after the meeting during his first official visit to Morocco. Othmani said Morocco was doing "all that is in its power regarding the fight against illegal immigration". "The migration question is complex and it cannot be resolved solely through a security approach, despite its importance, its necessary to favor the development of departure countries in Africa," he added. Spain is one of the North African kingdoms strongest European allies, and enhanced collaboration on all levels was a focus of Sanchezs visit. It was among the topics discussed at a lunch hosted by Moroccan King Mohammed VI, the official MAP news agency said. Spain has this year become the main entry point for migrants crossing the Mediterranean, the majority departing from Morocco. More than 50,000 migrants have crossed into Spain so far this year, according to figures from the International Organization for Migration (IOM). Madrid has for months been pressing the European Union to unlock funds for Morocco to better tackle people smuggling into the bloc. Throughout the year, numerous Spanish ministers and officials have traveled to Rabat to discuss security issues and migration. Moroccan authorities say that between January and the end of September they stopped some 68,000 illegal attempts to cross into Europe and dismantled 122 people smuggling gangs. While the majority of migrants have taken the perilous sea journey in rubber dinghies, others have scaled fences into the Spanish territories of Ceuta and Melilla which border Morocco. Morocco, along with Tunisia and Algeria, has refused to serve as an immigration reception and processing center, an idea proposed by the European Union. Morocco instead wants more EU funding to help manage migration across its borders. Morocco is scheduled to host an international UN-sponsored conference on migration on December 10-11.