Rabat – The spokesperson of the Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hami Aksoy, stressed on Sunday the importance of maintaining the flow of goods and people at the Guerguerat border crossing between Morocco and Mauritania.
After the three-week-long illegal blockade in the buffer zone by armed Polisario members, Morocco’s Royal Armed Forces (FAR) intervened on November 13 to secure the Guerguerat border post and ensure the resumption of civil and commercial traffic.
The intervention of Morocco resulted in the establishment of a security cordon at the border post in Guerguerat to secure traffic to and from Mauritania.
The Turkish spokesperson said Turkey was following the measures that Morocco took to end the blockade in Guerguerat.
Turkey also declared its support for a just and lasting political solution to the Western Sahara dispute within the framework of UN Security Council resolutions.
Turkey’s support for Morocco’s successful intervention in Guerguerat follows international backing from several African and Arab countries.
Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE, Oman, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen are the Arab countries that have welcomed Morocco’s operation.
In Africa, Sao Tome and Principe, Comoros, Djibouti, the Central African Republic, and Gabon joined the chorus supporting Morocco’s action.
As soon as Morocco’s FAR announced the operation to secure the border crossing on Friday evening, Mauritanian media expressed relief.
The Polisario blockade left the Mauritanian economy in worry, preventing merchandise and agricultural goods from reaching markets. The blockade also left 200 Moroccan truck drivers stranded south of the border.
The international support for Morocco’s intervention is in line with Rabat’s diplomatic gains in Western Sahara.
In recent years, Morocco’s Autonomy Plan has won international recognition for proposing a “credible,” “pragmatic,” and “lasting” solution to the Western Sahara issue.
Countries and international actors also welcomed Morocco’s steadfast commitment to the 1991 ceasefire with Polisario. The separatist Front, meanwhile, declared on November 14 its official breaching of the 29-year-old ceasefire.
On the day of Morocco’s intervention in Guerguerat, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed his concern over further escalations and warned against violating the ceasefire.
