Morocco will firmly respond to any attempts targeting the security & stability of its Southern provinces – King Mohammed VI

King Mohammed VI has underlined Saturday evening that Morocco will respond, with the utmost firmness and resolve, to any practices or attempts designed to undermine the security and stability of its southern provinces.

In a speech he delivered on the occasion of the celebration of the 45th anniversary of the Green March, King Mohammed VI made it clear that the Kingdom will not be affected, in any way, by the useless provocations and desperate schemes of the other parties, which attest to a headlong rush, now that their outdated claims have failed.

The Monarch was referring to Algeria and its puppet Polisario front, which have been attempting to block traffic at the border crossing point of Guerguarate, at the Moroccan-Mauritanian border.

In this vein, he said, “We categorically reject the unacceptable practices designed to disrupt the normal flow of traffic between Morocco and Mauritania, change the legal and historical status of the territory east of the berm, or illegally exploit the region’s resources.”

“As ever, Morocco will not only continue to abide by and uphold logic and wisdom, but it will also respond, with the utmost firmness and resolve, to any practices or attempts designed to undermine the security and stability of its southern provinces,” the Monarch said, expressing confidence that the United Nations and MINURSO will continue to carry out their duties in terms of preserving the ceasefire in the region.

While insisting that the Kingdom’s southern provinces are an indivisible part of the Moroccan territory, King Mohammed VI said “Morocco reiterates its sincere commitment to cooperate with His Excellency the Secretary-General of the United Nations, within the framework of the relevant Security Council resolutions so as to achieve a final solution based on the Autonomy Initiative.”

“My commitment to reaffirming the Moroccanness of the Sahara is as steadfast as my endeavors to make the Sahara an engine of development at the regional and continental levels,” the Monarch went on to say, underlining that time has come to complement the major projects implemented in the southern provinces, by exploiting the region’s enormous maritime potential.

The Monarch who recalled, in this regard, that Morocco has this year completed the demarcation of its maritime boundaries and incorporated them into its legislation, in keeping with international law, affirmed that the Kingdom “will remain committed to dialogue with its neighbor, Spain, regarding any overlap between the territorial waters of the two friendly countries, consistent with the provisions of the Law of the Sea and in keeping with the spirit of their partnership, avoiding any unilateral decision or fait accompli.”

The delineation of the maritime areas falling under the Kingdom’s sovereignty will support the plan designed to promote the current vibrant economic and social policy in the region.

Consistent with this vision, the Atlantic coast to the south of the Kingdom, bordering the Moroccan Sahara, will serve as an area for the achievement of economic complementarity as well as continental and international prominence, the King said, adding that in addition to Tanger-Med, which is the first port in Africa, Dakhla Atlantique will contribute to reaching this goal.

The Monarch then vowed to continue to work for the development of a real maritime economy in these provinces, that boast significant resources and capabilities that “can make them act as a bridge between Morocco and its African roots.”

It is important, in this respect, to invest in marine areas, whether with regard to seawater desalination or renewable energy, exploiting, to this end, wind turbine generators and tidal energy, he explained, stressing also the need to continue to develop the fishing sector, given its role in boosting the region’s economy. “This would also give fresh impetus to the Plan Halieutis, making it a strategic pillar for revitalizing the tourism sector, turning the region into a prominent destination for beach tourism.”