Morocco may be courting Chile to become the first South American country to inagurate a diplomatic representation in Western Sahara.
Rabat – The speaker of the Chilean Chamber of Deputies, Ivan Flores, reiterated his country’s support for Morocco’s Autonomy Plan after meeting with Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Bourita.
“Chile recognizes the resolutions of the United Nations and supports the autonomy proposal presented by Morocco in order to reach a solution to the dispute over the Sahara,” Flores affirmed in a statement to the press.
“This is a very clear state policy that has not changed and will not change.”
Flores is in Rabat on an official two-day visit and will hold talks with several Moroccan officials.
The Chilean speaker’s statement comes just days after the Morocco-Chile friendship group met in Rabat to discuss the role of parliamentary diplomacy in promoting bilateral relations on February 5.
The president of the bilateral parliamentary friendship group at the Chilean Chamber of Deputies, Gonzalo Fuenzalida, commended the quality of relations between the two countries.
Fuenzalida stressed the importance of parliamentary diplomacy in consolidating bilateral relations to serve the common interests of Rabat and Santiago.
He also expressed satisfaction with his visit to Laayoune, southern Morocco, on January 28, as part of a Chilean delegation. Fuenzalida said that this trip affirmed his perception of Morocco’s role in preserving stability and development in the region.
The president of the Chilean Senate, Jaime Quintana, reiterated his country’s support for Morocco’s Autonomy Plan while in Laayoune.
“We have been supporting for two years the autonomy initiative presented by Morocco to end the conflict over the Sahara,” Quintana said during the meeting with the governor of the Laayoune province, Abdesslam Bekrat.
Morocco and Chile have long enjoyed warm relations and have cooperated in the economic, cultural, and political realms for several years. As bilateralism continues to flourish, Chile may be the first South American country to inaugurate a diplomatic representation in Western Sahara.
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