Rabat – On the sidelines of the 14th US-Africa Business Summit, held between July 19 and 22 in Marrakech, Morocco’s Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita held a series of meetings with his African counterparts, providing an opportunity for the neighboring African countries to reiterate their support for Morocco’s Autonomy Plan for Western Sahara.
Under the theme of “Building Future Together,” the African countries’ representatives ratified the Moroccan initiative’s legitimacy and potential to resolve the ongoing territorial dispute, in accordance with the applicable UN resolution.
During his talks on Wednesday with the Moroccan Minister, Mamadou Tangara, Gambia’s Foreign Affairs Minister, reaffirmed his country’s support for the territorial integrity of Morocco and acknowledged the kingdom’s proposed autonomy plan as the only solution to achieve a final settlement of the dispute over Western Sahara.
“Gambia supports the efforts of the UN to achieve a political solution, realistic, practical, and sustainable for this artificial conflict,” Tangara said, stressing that the opening of his country’s General Consulate in Dakhla reflects Gambia’s firm stance on the Western Sahara question.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Malawi Nancy Tembo similarly reiterated the “unwavering” support of her country to Morocco’s territorial integrity and its autonomy plan as “the only and unique solution to resolve this regional dispute.”
Tembo also praised the UN’s efforts as the “exclusive framework” for reaching a political, pragmatic, and long-term solution to the regional dispute.
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Dee-Maxwell Saah Kemayah, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Liberia, also stressed the support of his country to the territorial integrity of Morocco and its full sovereignty over its southern provinces during his talks with Bourita on Wednesday in Marrakech.
In addition, the Iberian minister reaffirmed his country’s support for Morocco’s Autonomy Plan as “the only solution” to the Western Sahara dispute, noting that the opening of the Liberian Consulate in 2020 in Dakhla served as a significant step to deepen the diplomatic relations between the two countries.
On the same occasion, Dhoihir Dhoulkamal, Comorian Minister of Foreign Affairs also emphasized his country’s support for the autonomy plan proposed by Morocco as the only solution to the ongoing Western Sahara dispute.
“The Moroccan plan aimed at resolving this artificial conflict is likely to bring peace and stability in the region,” Dhoulkamal said in a statement to the press after his meeting with the Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs.
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With the participation of a large US government delegation, African ministers, and leaders of the largest US. multinational and African businesses, the 14th edition of the US-Africa Business Summit provides a chance to form future-oriented trilateral economic partnerships between the United States, Morocco, and Africa.
The summit also offers an opportunity to reinforce Morocco’s strategic stance as Africa’s hub and a reference economic partner for the US, as it currently stands as the only African country that has signed a free trade deal with the US.
