Agadir – Guinea-Bissau has reaffirmed its support for Morocco’s territorial integrity and sovereignty over its southern provinces in Western Sahara.
The country also renewed its backing for the Moroccan Autonomy Plan as a solution to the regional dispute.
Guinea-Bissau Foreign Minister Fatumata Jau conveyed the position on Saturday, on the sidelines of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
“I wish to clearly reaffirm Guinea-Bissau’s consistent position regarding the Moroccan Sahara. Guinea-Bissau would like to reiterate its consistent position in support of Morocco’s territorial integrity and sovereignty over the Sahara,” Jau said in a statement to the press.
The minister also recalled that Guinea-Bissau opened a Consulate General in Dakhla in 2020.
She reiterated her country’s support for “the autonomy plan presented by Morocco as the only solution to this regional dispute.”
“Guinea-Bissau welcomes Security Council Resolution 2797 and supports United Nations efforts to find a solution based on the autonomy plan under Moroccan sovereignty presented by Morocco,” Jau said, adding that her country’s position is clear, consistent and unequivocal.
Continued support for Morocco’s Sahara position
In June, Jau echoed the same remarks after talks with Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita in Rabat, stating that her country’s position remained “firm and unchanged,” while reiterating its support for Morocco’s sovereignty over its territory and the Autonomy Plan.
During the meeting, Jau also welcomed UN Security Council Resolution 2797, which she linked to efforts to establish the Autonomy Plan under Moroccan sovereignty as a framework for a political settlement.
The latest statement in New York further reinforces the position expressed by Guinea-Bissau in May.
At the time, then-Foreign Minister Joao Bernardo Vieira reaffirmed his country’s support for Morocco’s territorial integrity and sovereignty over its southern provinces. He also described the Moroccan Autonomy Plan as the most optimal route toward a credible and realistic solution to the dispute.
