Rabat – Japan has denounced the participation of the separatist Polisario Front in the 8th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD-8), held on 27 and 28 August in Tunis.
In a statement issued at end of the first session of the TICAD8 summit, the Japanese delegation said: “TICAD is a forum for discussion on the development of Africa.”
The statement added: “The presence of any entity, which Japan does not recognize as a sovereign state at TICAD 8 meetings, including the Senior Officials Meeting and the Summit Meeting, does not affect the position of Japan regarding the status of this entity.”
The statement is in line with Tokyo’s previous announcement regarding invitations to the summit. Japan had previously underscored that invitations to the summit can only be issued when co-signed by Tunisia, the host nation, and Japan.
Only states officially recognized by Tokyo and that are not subject to sanctions by the African African Union can take part in the conference, the Japanese foreign ministry said ahead of the event.
Japan’s latest statement comes on the heels of controversy spurred by Tunisia’s decision to invite Brahim Ghali, the leader of the separatist group pushing for independence in southern Morocco.
In response, Morocco boycotted the TICAD summit and withdrew its ambassador from Tunis. The statement of the Japanese delegation also echoes an earlier statement from Morocco’s Foreign Affairs Ministry.
After Tunisia dismissed Morocco’s reaction by claiming that Ghali had been invited by the AU, which co-organizes the TICAD summit with the Japanese foreign ministry, Morocco issued a statement detailing TICAD’s invitation protocols.
The decision to invite the separatist leader came unilaterally from Tunisia, “against the explicit will of the Japanese partner,” noted the Moroccan statement.
Throughout the TICAD summit, many countries raised concerns over Morocco’s absence, describing the kingdom as an important continental leader and a reliable partner on questions of African development and solidarity.
Meanwhile, the episode has considerably soured relations between Rabat and Tunis, with many in Morocco taking issue with the Tunisian president for “a stab in the back.”
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