Rabat – The Polisario Front continues its maneuvers to create tension between Morocco and countries supporting Morocco’s position on Western Sahara.
On October 16, Egyptian Ambassador to Morocco Ashraf Ibrahim issued a statement to clarify Egypt’s stance on the Western Sahara conflict after a Polisario member attended a ceremony organized by the Egyptian embassy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The Egyptian embassy in Morocco shared Ibrahim’s statement with Morocco World News, in which he reaffirmed Egypt’s firm stance on the conflict.
The Egyptian ambassador complained of the “inaccuracy of what some media outlets have been reporting about the invitation” of Egypt in Ethiopia to the representative of the self-proclaimed Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) to attend a reception on October 12.
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The statement denied that the Egyptian ambassador to Ethiopia invited the Polisario representative in Addis Ababa. Instead, the representative intruded on the ceremony. Because of the crowds at the ceremony, the Egyptian mission did not notice his presence until he left.
The Egyptian ambassador to Morocco emphasized his country’s support for Morocco’s territorial integrity.
He added that Egypt does not recognize the self-proclaimed SADR, reiterating that the solution to the conflict should take place within the auspices of the United Nations.
Egypt supports Morocco’s return to AU
Commenting on Morocco’s return to the African Union, the ambassador said that Egypt backed Morocco’s return to its “natural place within the AU” because it is a brotherly country and a “strong and influential African power.”
“It will give impetus to the course of the union’s work, especially as Africa has a prominent Moroccan interest; the kingdom is one of the founding countries of the Organization of African Unity,” reads the statement.
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Ibrahim added that Egypt and Morocco have a “comprehensive coordination” within the AU.
He asserted that the AU will witness a strong boost with Egypt taking over the presidency of the AU in 2019, “especially in the issues of combating terrorism and the 2026 African Agenda for Sustainable Development and Peacekeeping” and migration challenges because both Morocco and Egypt are countries of transit and reception for migrants.
Subsequently, Ibrahim reiterated the strength of the diplomatic ties between Egypt and Morocco.
The Moroccan-Egyptian bonds, according to Ibrahim, are “witnessing a continuous development based a common history and strong cultural ties.”
Not the first time
It is not the first time Polisario tried to create tension between Morocco and other countries.
Recently, Japan slammed Polisario at the 7th ministerial meeting of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) for secretly attending.
Japan’s foreign minister Taro Kono stressed that his country does not recognize Polisario as a state.
“Even if a group which claims itself as a state which Japan does not recognize was sitting in this room, this fact does not mean that Japan, in any way, implicitly or explicitly recognize it as a state,” Kono said.
The Japanese reaction came after Morocco’s withdrawal from the meeting room to protest the presence of a Polisario representative.
