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Rabat – The Mexico-Morocco Friendship Group has reiterated its support for the Moroccan Autonomy Plan as the “one and only” solution to the Western Sahara conflict, denouncing separatist attempts at destabilizing the Sahara and Sahel regions.
“We reiterate our support for the Moroccan proposal for autonomy and we condemn the separatist plans which attempt to compromise the security and stability of the Sahara and Sahel region,” reported the group members in a letter to Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Morocco and Mexico.
Established in September 2020, the Mexico-Morocco Friendship Group consists of Moroccan and Mexican personalities from political, academic, cultural, social, and economic fields. It intends to develop joint cooperation projects and produce annual reports and proposals to reinforce bilateral relations between the two countries.
On the Western Sahara conflict, the group has expressed support for the Moroccan autonomy initiative on several occasions including the Moroccan Royal Armed Forces’ intervention in the El Guergarat zone to restore civil and commercial traffic between Western Sahara and Mauritania.
In its March 11 letter, the friendship group members stressed Mexico’s respect for countries’ right to preserve their sovereignty, noting that they will “support Morocco” in its fight “to thwart these doomed [separatist] attempts.”
The group’s coordinator and Mexican MP Miguel Vargas Mendosa reported that the letter was an expression of the solidarity of Mexicans with the Moroccan cause and an appeal to Mexican authorities to refute foreign-sponsored separatist attempts in the Sahara region.
Read Also: Morocco, Mexico to Strengthen South-South Cooperation
Mendoza also commended Moroccan efforts to promote peace, security, and development in the MENA.
The letter of the Mexico-Morocco Friendship Club represents hope for advancing cooperation between the two countries at the bilateral and multilateral levels and particularly on the Western Sahara conflict.
Mexico remains an ally of the self-proclaimed Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) as the former Foreign Minister Jorge Castañeda y Álvarez de la Rosa recognized the separatist entity as a state in 1979.
Mexican and SADR officials have organized several meetings in the past years, impacting relations between Rabat and Mexico City.
In 2018, the Secretary-General of Polisario Front Brahim Ghali attended the inauguration of Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador while no Moroccan officials participated in the event.
Read Also: Josep Borrell: No EU Member Recognizes Polisario’s Self-Proclaimed SADR
In the past two years, however, Mexico has expressed interest in strengthening relations with Morocco in the frameworks of bilateral relations and south-south cooperation.
Celebrating 60 years of diplomatic relations this year, the Moroccan Embassy in Mexico will organize a one-week-long between July 23 and 31.
“The #Morocco Week in #Mexico [will provide] a wide selection of artistic cultural events and economic forums,” tweeted the embassy.
