Sahara: Cyprus, Serbia & Romania support Morocco’s Autonomy Plan
Cyprus foreign minister Ioannis Kasoulides has voiced his country’s support to the autonomy plan offered by Morocco for a lasting solution to the Sahara conflict.
At a joint press briefing held Wednesday in Marrakech with Moroccan peer Nasser Bourita on the sidelines of the ministerial meeting of the Global Coalition against Daech, Mr. Kasoulides said Cyprus defends the principle of respect of territorial integrity of States, backs the resolutions of the UN Security Council and firmly rejects all separatist attempts targeting Morocco and his country.
For his part, Serbian foreign minister Nikola Selaković described the Moroccan autonomy plan for the Sahara as “a serious and credible solution” for the settlement of the Sahara issue.
In a joint statement issued following talks he held Wednesday with Bourita on the sidelines of the ministerial meeting of the Global Coalition against ISIS, the Serbian FM praised the diplomatic and political efforts made by Morocco to achieve a realistic, pragmatic and lasting political solution to the Sahara issue, in a spirit of realism and compromise and in full compliance with UN resolutions.
Regarding the issue of Kosovo and Metohija, Morocco supports the territorial integrity and the sovereignty of the Republic of Serbia in its internationally recognized borders, as well as the dialogue between Belgrade and Priština under the auspices of European Union, the joint statement said.
The Moroccan FM also met separately the same day with Romanian peer Bogdan Aurescu who is also taking part in the Marrakesh ministerial meeting of the global coalition against Daesh.
On this occasion, the Romanian official said Bucharest supports the “serious and credible” autonomy initiative proposed by Morocco in 2007 for the Sahara, underlining that this initiative is the basis for the resolution of the regional conflict over the Sahara.
In a joint statement issued after the Bourita-Aurescu talks, Romania reaffirms its backing to the efforts engaged under the UN exclusive auspices in a bid to reach a just, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution to the Sahara issue in accordance with the UN Security Council resolution.
