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Rabat – Ecuador officially opened its first embassy in Morocco on Friday, marking a new chapter in the growing relationship between the two countries.
The opening of the embassy comes after Ecuador’s decision in October 2024 to cut all ties with the self-styled “Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic” and strengthen its diplomatic ties with Morocco, notably backing the Moroccan position on the Western Sahara conflict.
The ceremony was attended by Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita and Ecuadorian Foreign Minister Gabriela Sommerfeld.
Morocco now hosts 165 diplomatic missions, including 50 from international organizations, Bourita said. He noted that 14 Latin American embassies are based in Rabat, arguing that this positions Morocco as a bridge between Latin America and Africa.
Bourita spoke of the strategic importance Morocco places on its relations with Latin America, saying the partnership with Ecuador reflects a “win-win” South-South cooperation model. The two countries, he added, aim to work together across many fields to benefit both nations and their people.
He also commended Ecuador for appointing an ambassador to lead the new diplomatic mission in Rabat.
Meanwhile, Sommerfeld described the embassy opening as the start of a new dynamic in Ecuador-Morocco relations. She expressed her country’s commitment to deepening ties in key sectors and sharing expertise in different areas.
Sommerfeld noted that this is Ecuador’s first embassy in the Maghreb region and said it could serve as a “gateway to African markets.”
The embassy opening followed a meeting between Bourita and Sommerfeld, during which the Ecuadorian minister confirmed her country’s support for Morocco’s autonomy plan for Western Sahara.
Ecuador considers the 2007 Moroccan proposal as the basis for a lasting political solution to the conflict.
