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Rabat – Panama has once again expressed its strong support for Morocco’s autonomy plan for Western Sahara, describing it as the only realistic and credible solution to the long-standing regional dispute.
Carlos Arturo Hoyos Boyd, Panama’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, confirmed this position on Friday in Rabat following a meeting with Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nasser Bourita.
The Panamanian official stated that his country considers Morocco’s autonomy initiative, presented in 2007, to be the only serious and practical basis for reaching a lasting settlement to the dispute, under the framework of the United Nations-led political process and in full respect of Morocco’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
He also noted that Panama’s embassy in Morocco exercises full consular functions across the entire national territory, including the southern provinces, a move that reflects Panama’s practical recognition of Morocco’s administrative reality.
Panama further reaffirmed its support for the United Nations and the efforts of the UN Secretary-General and his Personal Envoy to facilitate a political solution based on the autonomy proposal, aiming for a fair, durable, and mutually acceptable agreement between the parties.
The country’s position comes amid a broader pattern of growing international backing for Morocco’s autonomy plan in Western Sahara. A number of countries across different regions have expressed support for Rabat’s proposal in recent years, describing it as a serious and credible framework for resolving the conflict.
In addition, UN Security Council Resolution 2797 placed Morocco’s autonomy plan at the center of the political process for achieving a mutually acceptable solution to the dispute. The resolution calls for negotiations to be conducted on this basis under UN auspices, while renewing MINURSO’s mandate.
Meanwhile, world powers including the US, France, and the UK have also repeatedly endorsed Morocco’s autonomy initiative as the most realistic and credible solution to the dispute.
A growing number of African countries have also backed Morocco’s position on the Sahara issue. Recent diplomatic developments have also included moves by many states to distance themselves from the positions of the self-proclaimed Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR). The most recent is Mali, which withdrew recognition of the self-styled entity.
