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Rabat – Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nasser Bourita, hosted in Rabat today a delegation from the Italian parliamentary intergroup “Support for the Autonomy Initiative in the Sahara.”
The delegation, which is on a working visit to Morocco until October 28, pledged to further cement what its members described as a solid and highly strategic friendship between Rabat and Rome.
Speaking to the press following their meeting with Bourita, Ettore Rosato, Secretary-General of the Azione Party and coordinator of the delegation, said the visit aims to reaffirm the group’s “support for Morocco’s autonomy plan for the Sahara.”
He then went on to describe the Moroccan as a “long-term peace proposal,” confirming its growing adoption by the international community as the most viable path to a lasting resolution of the Western Sahara dispute.
In addition, Rosato expressed confidence that “an international resolution under the aegis of the United Nations Security Council will help build lasting peace.”
He commended the “development momentum” in Morocco’s southern provinces, noting their economic potential and the progress of infrastructure projects across various social and economic sectors.
Read also: Western Sahara: UK Support for Moroccan Sovereignty Is a Matter of Time
The visit comes as Morocco marks the 50th anniversary of the Green March and celebrates 200 years of diplomatic relations between Morocco and Italy, a partnership Rosato said continues to deepen across political, economic, and cultural dimensions.
As part of their program, the Italian parliamentary group visited the Laayoune-Sakia El Hamra region, where they met with local authorities and elected officials and toured key development projects driving socio-economic transformation in the southern provinces.
The delegation includes seven members of the Italian Parliament, from both the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, representing parties across the governing coalition and the opposition.
Morocco has poured billions into transforming its southern provinces over the past years, developing ports, renewable energy facilities, and modern transport infrastructure that anchor the region’s economic rise.
Growing international investment continues to consolidate these achievements, translating development into tangible expressions of sovereignty.
The North African country has also gained broad international recognition for its autonomy initiative. The US’ landmark decision in December 2020 to recognize Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara reshaped the global approach to the matter, while France reinforced this stance in July 2024, when President Emmanuel Macron described the autonomy plan as “the only basis” for a lasting political solution to the decades-long dispute.
