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Rabat – Egypt’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sameh Choukri, reaffirmed on Monday his country’s support for Morocco’s territorial integrity, as well as the UN-led political process to resolve the Western Sahara dispute.
Following talks between Choukri and his Moroccan counterpart Nasser Bourita, the two countries issued a joint communique in which Egypt voiced its support for the Security Council resolutions concerning the Sahara dispute, most notably Resolution 2602.
The meeting confirmed the position Egypt had stated since 2019, when Achraf Ibrahim, who was then Egypt’s ambassador to Morocco, insisted that his country “has not and will never recognize what is called Polisario.”
Choukri made a working visit to Morocco on Monday, in which he talked with the Moroccan Foreign Minister about bilateral ties and the history of relations between the two countries.
The visit also saw the inauguration of a new headquarters of Egypt’s Embassy in Rabat, in a ceremony chaired by the two ministers.
Earlier this year, Egypt’s ambassador to Morocco Yasser Mustafa Kamal Othman reiterated this position, confirming that his country does not recognize the Polisario or the “Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic” (SADR).
The remarks came after Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune visited Egypt to meet with its President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi.
The visit was rumored to be for convincing Arab states to participate in the postponed Arab Summit in Algiers, after the Arab League took a pro-Moroccan stance on the Western Sahara debate.
In October of last year, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 2602 that reiterated calls for a “realistic, practicable, enduring, and mutually acceptable political solution.”
The resolution also called on all parties of the dispute – Morocco, Algeria, Mauritania, and the Polisario front – to participate in dialogue to resolve the issue.
Over the past few years, Morocco has seen increased regional and international support for its territorial integrity.
More than 20 African and Arab countries have opened consulates in the cities of Dakhla and Laayoune, cementing their support for the Moroccanness of the region.
Meanwhile, the US, Spain, France, the Arab League and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have all voiced their support for Morocco’s Autonomy Plan.
