Rabat – The EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, reiterated on Friday the EU’s position regarding the Western Sahara dispute, saying the European bloc values both Morocco’s “serious and credible” efforts as well as the UN process.
“We have taken note of and highly value the serious and credible efforts made by Morocco to this end [to find a solution],” Borrell told the press on Friday, adding that the EU supports the UN process and the efforts of the Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy aimed at “reaching a just, realistic, pragmatic, sustainable, and mutually-accepted solution based on compromise.”
Borrell continued by expressing the EU’s encouragement of “all parties” to engage with the UN-led process “in the spirit of realism and compromise,” and said he understood that the issue of the Sahara is an “existential” one for Morocco.
The top EU diplomat is on his first visit to Morocco, meeting with high-ranking officials such as the Head of Government Aziz Akhannouch and Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita.
The officials discussed various topics of common interest for Morocco and the EU, as well as ways to improve cooperation between the two over the coming years.
Several European countries such as Spain, Germany, and France have expressed support for Morocco’s Autonomy Plan for the Western Sahara region. The plan provides for the southern provinces to run their government independently under the sovereignty of Morocco.
In October 2022, Dutch member of the European Parliament Malik Azmani called on the EU to support the Autonomy Plan, describing it as “serious and credible.”
He explained: “It’s a credible plan. After nearly 50 years of muddling along, it’s definitely time to take steps forward.”
