Rabat – The foreign affairs advisor at the Venezuelan National Assembly, Manuel Avendano, said on Tuesday that Venezuela will “reconsider its recognition of the Sahrawi Republic” under the potential government of Interim-President Juan Guaido.
He told Maghreb Arab Press (MAP) that recognizing the self-proclaimed Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) is more in line with “left ideologies, like those of Nicolas Maduro’s regime” rather than “to a real quest for a peaceful and political solution to the dispute over the Sahara.”
Avendano said that Guaido’s government wants a “peaceful solution “to the conflict, adding that they support any “process that would lead to this end, within the framework of the UN.”
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Guaido’s government requested Morocco’s support after declaring himself interim president on January 23. He gained support from much of South America and elsewhere internationally, including from Trump’s administration.
On Tuesday, Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs spoke with Guaido by phone, informing him that Morocco is closely following the developments in Venezuela.
Bourita also expressed Morocco’s support for Guaido for all his actions to meet the legitimate aspirations of the Venezuelan people for democracy and change.
During the phone conversation, Guaido reiterated his government’s determination to restore diplomatic ties between the two counties on “healthy and serene bases” and to remove the obstacles that hampered their development.
Moroccan observers, including Abdelfettah Fatihi who spoke with Morocco World News, believe that Morocco’s support for Guaido’s presidency would be favorable for Morocco’s position on the Western Sahara conflict, especially because the majority of Venezuela’s previous presidents supported the ideologies of the Polisario Front.
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Morocco severed ties with Venezuela in 2009, when the latin government expressed full support for the front, a threat to Morocco’s territorial integrity.
In statements to Maghreb Arab Press (MAP), Avendano said that his government is ready to restore the diplomatic ties because both countries “had cultural and economic exchanges that we want to grow.”
“At the diplomatic level we are seeking more support, but unlike the Maduro regime, we are doing so under the Venezuelan constitution,” contended the advisor.
He added that the Guaido government wants “to obtain the recognition of the Kingdom of Morocco.”
