Djibouti, Romania Oppose any Act Harming Morocco’s Territorial Integrity & Stability

Djibouti has expressed its full support for Morocco’s territorial integrity, while Rumania said it is against any interference likely to harm the North African country’s stability, in reaction to Rabat’s decision to cut diplomatic ties with Iran over its support for an alliance between Hezbollah and the Polisario separatists.

“I reaffirm in this context the support of the Republic of Djibouti for all measures taken by your brotherly country to safeguard its security and stability against any attempt aiming at undermining its territorial integrity and the security of its citizens,” Spokesperson of Djibouti’s government, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf said in a letter to Morocco’s Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita.

The Djiboutian official stressed on the need to respect the principles governing relations between countries, on top of which respect for national sovereignty and non-interference in domestic affairs of other states.

In this connection, Romanian Foreign Minister, Teodor Meleșcanu, said Romania is against whatsoever interference that could harm Morocco’s stability.

“We are against any interference by States, organizations, political entities or other groups, that may affect and harm Morocco’s stability,” said Meleșcanu during a press briefing following talks with Nasser Bourita in Rabat on Friday.

The stability of Morocco is crucial in all the matters relating to security in the region and around the world, stressed the Romanian official, adding that Rabat can count on Bucharest’s support bilaterally, as well as in international fora.

Djibouti and Romania have thus joined a range of countries that expressed support for Morocco in its standoff with Iran and Algeria. These countries include member countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council, the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

Morocco last week severed ties with Iran due to its involvement in facilitating an alliance between its proxy Hezbollah and the Polisario separatists. With logistical help of Iran’s embassy in Algiers and Algeria’s consent, Hezbollah military officials trained Polisario militias on urban warfare against Morocco and supplied them with surface to air missiles.

Actually, explaining the reasons for severing ties with Iran, Nasser Bourita told reporters that “Hezbollah sent [surface-to-air] SAM-9, SAM-11 and Strela missiles to the Polisario with the connivance of Iran’s embassy in Algiers”. The charges leveled by Morocco are clearly serious.