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Rabat – During his diplomatic mission to Morocco earlier this week, Robert Dussey, the Togolese Minister of Foreign Affairs, reaffirmed his country’s support for Morocco’s territorial integrity. Morocco’s Autonomy Plan, Dussey tellingly suggested, is the only credible and realistic solution to the resolution of the Sahara dispute.
On the sidelines of his participation in the first Ministerial Meeting of African Atlantic States, Dussey and his Moroccan counterpart Nasser Bourita, Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation, and Moroccans Abroad held talks during which they praised the solidity and significance of the friendship and solidarity-based relations between their two countries.
While praising the United Nations’ efforts for resolving the Sahara dispute, Dussey expressed Togo’s support for the pursuit of a long-term solution that preserves Morocco’s territorial integrity, unity, and sovereignty.
He invoked both the prevailing pro-Rabat consensus on the UN-led political process and the African Union’s pro-Rabat turn on the Sahara question in the aftermath of the July 2018 Summit of Heads of State and Government in Nouakchott, Mauritania, arguing that Morocco’s Autonomy Plan is the best route to a lasting political solution to the Sahara dispute.
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But the culminating point of the top Togolese diplomat’s visit to Morocco was the announcement of the forthcoming opening of the West African country’s consulate general in the southern Moroccan city of Dakhla.
As well as cementing Lome’s support of Rabat’s sovereignty over the southern provinces, the opening of a diplomatic representation in Dakhla “reflects once again the constant support of the Republic of Togo for the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Morocco and the strong ties uniting the two Heads of State, His Majesty King Mohammed VI and his brother, His Excellency Mr. Faure Gnassingbé, President of the Republic of Togo,” Dussey commented.
Bourita welcomed the decision, calling it “a source of satisfaction for all Moroccans,” and noting that it “reflects the constant support of the Republic of Togo for the sovereignty of the Kingdom and its national and territorial integrity.”
On the economic front, Bourita and his Togolese counterpart spoke of the vital importance of South-South cooperation as the main grounding of the Morocco-Togo partnership.
They agreed to strengthen the partnership in areas of mutual interest, noting that such a friendship should be based on the sharing of experiences and a more aggressive strategy for businessmen in both nations.
Read also: Morocco’s Vital Role in Africa’s Now-or-Never Moment on Food Security
The two ministers also agreed to increase the number of business linkages between their countries to explore new prospects for trade and investment, and establish a Morocco-Togo Business Council
Expanding the volume of imports and exports (in both directions), as well as Moroccan investments in Togo, featured prominently in discussions.
Togo’s commitment to soon open a consulate in Dakhla demonstrates the strength of Moroccan-Togolese ties in terms of protecting and unwaveringly supporting each other’s territorial integrity.
But the move also illustrates the depth of Morocco’s African diplomacy. The North African country is developing a new form of diplomacy a number of Africa watchers have characterized as both comprehensive and pragmatic.
Because of its exceptional combination of cultural, religious, and economic diplomacy, Morocco is achieving substantial diplomatic advances throughout Africa. And as the Moroccan political scientist Yousra Abourabi has argued, Morocco has over the past decade emerged as a continental leader on the geopolitical or strategic front, and a trend-setter on the economic front.
In this sense, the North African kingdom has become a viable partner, a reliable and coveted ally for fellow African countries, and an influential continental voice that can now rally many African countries around issues it deems essential for peace, stability, and prosperity across Africa.
This was on full display this week as Rabat hosted on Wednesday the first Ministerial Meeting of the African Atlantic States. At that regional summit in the Moroccan capital, which the Togolese FM attended, Bourita notably laid bare Morocco’s strategic ambitions as a continental leader: Laying the groundwork for a new geopolitical era in Africa.
