Qatar Reaffirms Support for Morocco’s Sovereignty over the Sahara

Qatar has reaffirmed its support to Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara and underscored that any settlement of the regional dispute over the territory needs to respect the North African country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

This renewed support came in the joint statement issued Monday in Rabat at the end of the 7th session of the Moroccan-Qatari High Joint Cooperation Commission held under the co-chairmanship of Head of Government Saâd Eddine El Othmani and Qatar’s Premier and Interior Minister Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa AlThani.

“The settlement of the regional conflict around the Sahara must be based on the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Morocco and on the respect of its territorial and national integrity”, underlined the Qatari side in the joint statement.

During the first Morocco-GCC summit held in Riyadh in April 2016, the member countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council had expressed rejection of any act that may affect Morocco’s supreme interests, on top of which the Moroccan Sahara issue.

King Mohammed VI who was attending the summit had voiced pride and appreciation for the constant support GCC members have been giving Morocco for the defense of its territorial integrity, saying that “the question of the Moroccan Sahara has always been the cause of Gulf countries as well.”

In the joint statement, the Qatari side also commended the leading role played by King Mohammed VI in preserving peace and stability in Africa and in consolidating the pillars of sustainable development in the continent and subsequently fulfil the aspirations of Africans for greater progress and prosperity.