Rabat – Guinea opened a general consulate in the Moroccan southern city of Dakhla, Western Sahara on January 17.
Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Bourita co-chaired the inauguration ceremony with his counterpart Mamadi Toure.
The opening of the consulate marks the beginning of a series of bilateral talks between Bourita and Toure.
Guinea is the fourth African state to open a diplomatic mission in Morocco’s southern region of Western Sahara, after Comoros, Cote d’Ivoire, and Gambia.
Morocco’s government sees the opening of the consulates as a mark of the success of its diplomatic efforts in favor of the North African country’s territorial integrity and sovereignty in Western Sahara.
At the opening of the General Consulate of Gambia in Dakhla on January 7, Bourita said that the inauguration of diplomatic missions in the region consolidates Morocco’s vision to make the country a gateway on the African continent.
The FM echoed similar statements during the opening of Comoros’ consulate in Laayoune, emphasizing that the inauguration of the consulate was “an event of great significance [as it answers] the question of the Moroccaness of the Sahara.”
On January 16, Moroccan French-speaking news outlet Le360 reported that Gabon is expected to open its general consulate in Laayoune on Friday, January 17.
Morocco World News contacted the Gabonese embassy in Rabat to ask about the African state’s plans to open a diplomatic mission in Laayoune.
The embassy denied the news, saying “not for the time being.”
The statement, however, suggests that it is only a question of time before Gabon follows the example of Guinea, Comoros, Gambia, and Cote d’Ivoire.th
Gabon is among the countries that support Morocco’s position in the Western Sahara conflict.
Morocco shares a friendly diplomatic relationship with Gabon.
In December 2019, the Moroccan FM announced that at least four more African countries would open consulates in Laayoune before the end of next year.
The consulates, according to Bourita, will work to reinforce economic and commercial exchange and cooperation between Morocco and its brother African states.
The Polisario Front and Algeria, the breakaway group’s key backer and financier, issued hostile press releases on the opening of Comoros and Gambia’s consulates, questioning the validity of diplomatic missions in Western Sahara, and by extension, Morocco’s territorial integrity. It remains to be seen whether the latest inauguration will prompt a similar response.
