Rabat – Guinea reaffirmed on Tuesday in Marrakech its unwavering support of Morocco’s autonomy plan to end the Western Sahara dispute.
Morocco’s minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Bourita met with his Guinean counterpart Morissanda Kouyate on the sidelines of the upcoming Ministerial Meeting of the Global Coalition Against Daesh, which will be held on May 11 in Marrakech.
In a statement, Minister Kouyate said that his country continues to consider Morocco’s Autonomy Plan as the most serious and credible proposal to resolve the four-decade-long dispute over Western Sahara.
The Guinean minister also commended Morocco’s “credible” efforts within the framework of the UN.
“I want it to be clear once and for all, Guinea supports Morocco and its Autonomy Plan,” as well as all “its serious efforts,” Kouyate said on the sidelines of the talks he held with Bourita ahead of the meeting of the global coalition against Daesh.
Bourita has previously described Guinea as a “true and exceptional” friend of Morocco, hailing the historical relations between Rabat and Conakry.
The two countries have long cooperated in several fields, including education, with the North African country offering a notable number of scholarship and study grants on a yearly basis to a number of African countries.
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On the sideline of the ministerial meeting to combat Daesh, which will be held for the first time in Africa, Bourita also met with his Bahraini counterpart Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani.
Representatives from the anti-Daesh coalition’s over 80 member states and organizations are expected to attend the meeting.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was also expected to participate in the Global Coalition against Daesh, but the US State department announced on May 4 that he tested positive for COVID-19.
It remains to be seen whether the US official will cancel his visit to Morocco due his COVID-19 diagnosis, or whether he will participate in the meeting remotely.
