Rabat – Angola’s roving ambassador Bernardo Mbala Domble met with Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Bourita, carrying a message to King Mohammed VI from Angolan President Joao Lourenco.
Moroccan state media reported that the meeting took place on Friday but did reveal details about the Angolan President’s message to King Mohammed VI.
But Ambassador Domble made a statement to the press, conveying his country’s readiness to strengthen the “friendly relations that bind Angola and Morocco, two countries that share a common history.”
The Angolan diplomat explained, “Angola and Morocco have a common history. Morocco was the first country to support Angola through the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola, and the first President of the Republic of Angola, Antonio Agostinho Neto, had a friendly relationship with the Kingdom.”
Angola considers Morocco a “friend of Angola,” Ambassador Domble said, stressing the need to “further strengthen their relations.”
Angola has been among African countries that have maintained relations with the Polisario Front, a separatist group claiming independence for Western Sahara.
Following the departure of former President of Angola Jose Eduardo Dos Santos, there were reports on “intensified” discussions between Luanda and Rabat to strengthen diplomatic ties.
Dos Santos, who served as Angola’s president 1979 to 2017, had been a vocal supporter of the Polisario Front during his time as president.
In March 2021, Morocco renewed its determination to promote economic and trade relations with Angola as part of a bid to increase cooperation between economic operators from the two countries.
Both countries also expressed their determination to accelerate the process of signing several draft agreements of an economic and commercial nature.
The agreements have been technically finalized and cover cooperation on avoidance of double taxation, air services, reciprocal protection of investment, and trade cooperation.
But whether Angola will change its stance on the Western Sahara dispute and join the growing list of African countries supporting Morocco’s territorial integrity — is yet to be unveiled in the future.
In recent years, Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara has gained widespread international recognition with the opening of consulates general in the Moroccan southern provinces of Laayoune and Dakhla.
The provinces are currently home to over 20 diplomatic representations of African and Arab countries that have cemented their support for Morocco’s position on Western Sahara.
Senegal, Malawi, and Zambia along with several other countries have all opened consulates in the region, reflecting their unwavering commitment to the Moroccan Autonomy Plan for the disputed region.
Arab countries such as the UAE, Jordan, and Bahrain have also opened representations in the region, reaffirming their support for Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara.
