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Rabat – Burundi renewed on Monday its support for Morocco’s territorial integrity and sovereignty over its southern provinces in the Western Sahara.
The East African country’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Albert Shingiro, reiterated this position in a joint statement signed during the first session of the Morocco-Burundi Joint Cooperation Committee held in Rabat. The session was co-chaired by Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita.
In the statement, Shingiro celebrated the international momentum behind Morocco’s position on Western Sahara, under the leadership of King Mohammed VI. He also expressed strong support for Morocco’s Autonomy Plan, calling it the only credible and realistic solution to the regional dispute.
Burundi’s foreign minister reiterated his country’s “firm and clear” position in favor of Morocco’s unity and sovereignty over all its territories, including the Sahara. He also recognized the role of the United Nations as the exclusive framework to reach a lasting, practical, and realistic solution to the Sahara dispute.
Meanwhile, Bourita celebrated the “positive and unprecedented momentum” relations between Morocco and Burundi have been enjoying in recent years. “In 2010, Burundi withdrew its recognition of the so-called republic. In 2015, Burundi opened a consulate in Rabat. In 2020, a Burundian consulate was inaugurated in Laayoune, one of the first consulates to open in Morocco’s southern provinces,” the minister said.
Today, the partnership between the two countries holds “even greater ambitions, to build a true and lasting relationship between two countries separated by nearly 6,000 kilometers, yet united by shared will, mutual respect, and a common vision on regional and international matters,” Bourita remarked.
During the visit, Bourita welcomed his Burundian counterpart in Rabat on the sidelines of the committee’s first meeting. The session aimed to boost cooperation and strengthen ties between the two countries.
The two ministers signed 10 cooperation agreements covering several areas, including finance, energy, infrastructure, agriculture, and health. The agreements also cover tourism, vocational training, academic scholarships, experience sharing, education, and local governance.
Bourita and Shingiro also signed a new roadmap for general cooperation between 2025 and 2027. The diplomats commended the strong and friendly relations between Morocco and Burundi, saying they are based on mutual respect and the shared vision of King Mohammed VI and President Évariste Ndayishimiye.
The session is expected to open new opportunities for deeper collaboration between the two countries in the years to come.
