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Rabat – Cape Verde reiterated its support for the Moroccan autonomy plan as the most “serious and credible” proposal to end the dispute over Western Sahara, according to a joint statement.
Cape Verde expressed its position in the statement issued at the conclusion of the second joint commission between Morocco and Cape Verde, which was chaired today in Rabat by Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Bourita and his Cape Verdean counterpart Rui Alberto De Figueiredo Soares.
M. Nasser Bourita et le ministre cabo-verdien des Affaires Étrangères, de la Coopération et de l’Intégration régionale, M. Rui Alberto De Figueiredo Soares, ont co-présidé, aujourd’hui à Rabat, les travaux de la 2ème session de la Commission mixte Maroc-Cabo Verde. pic.twitter.com/2MeL7PdUMq
— Maroc Diplomatie (@MarocDiplomatie) May 9, 2023
Soares praised the UN’s efforts to settle the territorial dispute in a “realistic and practical” manner.
He added that Cape Verde supports a long-term resolution that upholds Morocco’s territorial integrity and operates under the auspices of the United Nations.
Soares stressed that his country’s opening of a consulate general in Dakhla confirms Morocco’s territorial integrity and sovereignty over Western Sahara.
The country demonstrated its support for Morocco’s sovereignty over the disputed region when it opened a consulate in Dakhla in August 2022.
“The opening of the General Consulate of the Republic of Cape Verde in Dakhla also expresses support for the Autonomy Plan presented by Morocco and the efforts of the UN to find a credible and realistic solution to the resolution of the dispute over the Sahara,” Soares said during the opening of the consulate.
Read Also: Cape Verde Consulate Confirms Support for Morocco’s Territorial Integrity
Bourita and Soares also signed nine bilateral agreements covering a wide range of areas in an effort to strengthen their bilateral cooperation.
Les accords signés entre le Royaume du Maroc et la République de Cabo Verde à l’occasion des travaux de la 2ème session de la Commission mixte Maroc-Cabo Verde. pic.twitter.com/yua0PirCKS
— Maroc Diplomatie (@MarocDiplomatie) May 9, 2023
Bourita argued that the holding of the meeting presents an opportunity to advance and deepen the political dialogue, noting that it can strengthen a multifaceted strategic alliance between the two nations.
The two ministers also reaffirmed their shared desire to contribute to Africa’s peace, stability, and economic development through the African Continental Free-Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Bourita also expressed Morocco’s willingness to help promote Cape Verde’s integration into the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), taking into account its specificities as an island country.
This is not the first time Cape Verde has expressed full support for Morocco’s territorial integrity.
In 2019, then Cape Verdean Foreign Minister, Luis Felipe Tavarez, stressed his country’s recognition of the “Moroccanness of Western Sahara” and praised Morocco’s commitment to African prosperity and pan-African solidarity.
Morocco has made significant strides in gaining support from other countries in the Sahara conflict. Cape Verde is one of a growing number of countries that see Morocco’s autonomy initiative as the most viable route to a sustainable and politically negotiated solution to the decades-long dispute over Western Sahara.
The list of countries that have applauded Morocco’s autonomy proposal includes, among many others, the US, Sierra Leone, Germany, Spain, and the Netherlands.
