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Essaouira – Brazil’s Supreme Court President Dias Toffoli clarified his country’s position on Western Sahara on Thursday in a statement to Morocco’s state-owned media outlet, Maghreb Arab Press (MAP), at a reception at the Moroccan embassy in Brasilia.
Brazil, the senior official affirmed, supports “a realistic, durable and mutually acceptable solution to the Sahara issue.”
Toffoli emphasized the strong diplomatic ties between Morocco and Brazil, recalling a series of agreements the two countries have signed to consolidate bilateral cooperation. He drew particular attention to the judicial cooperation between the two states.
As part of the ongoing exchange of visits and expertise, the Supreme Court president is preparing for a visit to Morocco in the coming months, at the invitation of Morocco’s Court of Cassation.
Toffoli added that Brazil is very satisfied with the Morocco-Brazil cooperation agreements in the areas of extradition, transfer of convicts, and mutual legal assistance in criminal matters.
The senior official stressed the shared values of the two countries, saying: “In a continuously-changing world, Morocco, like Brazil, is a good example of coexistence, the two countries uphold the values of tolerance and diversity.”
He praised the spiritual leadership of King Mohammed VI and the environment of tolerance and respect the monarch has built within Morocco.
Toffoli’s comments come after Brazil’s foreign affairs minister, Ernesto Araujo, said in June 2019 that his country is poised to throw its weight behind Morocco’s efforts towards a “realistic” settlement in the decades-long territorial dispute over Western Sahara.
Araujo met with Moroccan FM Nasser Bourita during his 2019 tour of Latin America. The two FMs signed a number of cooperation agreements and consolidated diplomatic ties between the Rabat and Brasilia.
Not least among the agreements was a defense partnership, confirmed by Brazil in a series of tweets in the summer of 2019.
The Latin American country’s foreign ministry tweeted on June 19 that the “investment cooperation” agreement was the first of its kind between Brazil and a Maghreb country.
The ministry said Morocco “is an important investment destination, with the participation of companies such as Bunge Fertilizantes, Neobus, Randon, and Votorantim Group.”
The agreement was part of Morocco’s military ambition to move away from weapons imports and develop a self-sufficient military based on cooperation with partners, including Brazil.
