Morocco: Imminent holding of ministerial meeting of countries having consulates in southern provinces

Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nasser Bourita, announced Wednesday in Dakhla, the imminent holding of a ministerial meeting of countries that have opened consulates in the southern provinces of the Kingdom.

“We will work in the coming months to hold a meeting, whether in Laayoune or Dakhla, in the presence of all countries that have opened consulates in the southern provinces, to confirm this momentum and create greater coordination between these states,” said Bourita at a joint press briefing with his Cape Verdean counterpart, Rui Alberto De Figueiredo Soares, held after the official inauguration in Dakhla of a consulate general of Cape Verde.

This initiative is part of strengthening the dynamics of consulates opening that King Mohammed VI has stressed in his latest speech on the occasion of the 69th anniversary of the Revolution of the King and the People, following the positive developments witnessed by the issue of the Kingdom’s territorial integrity, Bourita said.

The fact that “about 40% of African states have opened consulates in Laayoune and Dakhla,” as recalled by the King, reflects the general orientation within the African continent to support the territorial integrity of Morocco and its legitimate rights over this part of its territory, he noted.

Bourita and his Cape Verdean peer, Rui Alberto De Figueiredo Soares, presided Wednesday in Dakhla the opening ceremony of the Consulate General of the Republic of Cabo Verde, which thus marks its firm support for the sovereignty of Morocco over its Sahara.

On the sidelines of the inauguration of the consular representation, the two officials signed a cooperation roadmap, two cooperation agreements and a memorandum of understanding (MoU) aimed at giving new impetus to the multidimensional partnership between the two friendly countries.

The roadmap covers several areas, namely education and training, technical cooperation and security, economic promotion and investment, as well as the exchange of official visits.

The document also provides for the organization of capacity-building programs for senior Cabo Verde officials in various fields, the promotion of win-win business partnerships and investment opportunities to carry out joint projects in sectors of priority interest to Cabo Verde.