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Rabat – Colombia’s Foreign Affairs Minister Marta Lucia Ramirez reaffirmed today that consular services provided by her country’s embassy in Rabat will cover the entire territory of Morocco, including the country’s southern provinces.
Ramirez made the statement as she concluded her working visit to Morocco, which started on October 28.
“The consular services provided by the Colombian Embassy in Morocco will be carried out in coordination with the Moroccan authorities and will cover the entire Moroccan territory, including the Sahara,” Ramirez said in an interview with MAP, Morocco’s news agency.
Consular assistance in the Sahara will facilitate services to Colombians, she said, adding that this extended scope of consular activities will have no impact on the diplomatic or consular relations of Morocco and Colombia with third countries.
Ramirez also emphasized the importance of Morocco’s Autonomy Plan, reiterating her country’s determination to support the UN-led political process in efforts to find a political solution to the conflict over Western Sahara.
This is not the first time that Colombia has expressed its support for Morocco’s autonomy plan.
In September, the President of the Colombian House of Representatives, Jennifer Kristin Arias Falla, and Morocco’s ambassador to Colombia, Farida Loudaya, met to discuss the state of Morocco-Colombia cooperation.
During the meeting, the Colombian MP reaffirmed her country’s position in support of Morocco’s territorial integrity.
Falla also maintained Bogota’s support for the “supreme interests of Morocco and respect for its sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
At the end of her Moroccan visit, Ramirez emphasized that her trip to the North African country reflects the “excellence of relations between Colombia and Morocco.”
She also recalled the two countries‘ agreement to abolish visas for holders of ordinary Moroccana and Colombian passports, adding that the agreement on mutual visa exemption will enter into force on November 28.
“We are sure that this agreement will exponentially increase the flow of travel between the two countries, both for tourism, and for investment and bilateral trade,” she said.
