UAE officially opens a Consulate General in Laayoune

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) officially inaugurated its Consulate General in Laayoune, in the Moroccan Sahara, this Wednesday, November 4.

The inauguration ceremony of the diplomatic representation was co-chaired by Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita and the UAE ambassador to Rabat El Assri Al Asri Saeed Ahmed Al Dhaheri.

The UAE thus becomes the first Arab country to establish a diplomatic representation in the Moroccan southern provinces, a move reiterating the Gulf country’s support for Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara.

The decision to open a Consulate General in Laayoune was announced by Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan on October 27 during a phone call with King Mohammed VI.

During the call, the Moroccan King expressed satisfaction with the decision. He described the announcement as a historic act that reflects the UAE’s support for Morocco’s territorial integrity, especially that the Emirates had taken part in the Green March.

Many analysts believe that the UAE’s decision could encourage other Arab countries to materialize their support for Morocco’s territorial integrity and open diplomatic representations in the Moroccan southern provinces.

The UAE consulate inauguration will thus give a new impetus to the diplomatic momentum in the Sahara and help assert Morocco’s legitimate sovereignty over the region.

So far, and in less than a year, 16 African countries from West Africa, Central Africa, Eastern Africa and Southern Africa have opened consulates in the Sahara cities of Laayoune and Dakhla.

These are Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cote d’Ivoire, Comoros Islands, Djibouti, Gabon, The Gambia, the Republic of Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Liberia, Central African Republic, Sao Tome & Principe, Senegal, Eswatini, and Zambia.

This highly significant political move shows the strong and firm support of these countries to Morocco’s sovereignty over its Sahara and to Morocco’s territorial integrity.