Sahara: Iraq reiterates support to Morocco’s territorial integrity

Iraq reiterated, on Saturday, its firm support of the territorial integrity of Morocco.

“I reiterate Iraq’s constant position on the Moroccan Sahara issue and its support for the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Morocco,” Iraqi Foreign Minister Fouad Hussein said at a joint press conference with his Moroccan peer, Nasser Bourita, who was visiting Baghdad.

Iraq stands with Morocco on the issue of its national territorial integrity, the Iraqi official insisted.

He also affirmed Iraq’s support to the United Nations’ efforts to achieve a final solution to this conflict, noting that his country backs the UN resolutions on this issue.

Iraq’s top diplomat stressed the importance of using peaceful means through negotiations to resolve this dispute, by preserving Morocco’s territorial integrity and ensuring security and stability in the Maghreb region.

During the visit, Bourita proceeded to the reopening of Morocco’s embassy in Baghdad. The diplomatic mission had been transferred to Amman, Jordan in 2005.
He also met several other senior Iraqi officials, including Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani; Speaker of Parliament Mohamed Al-Halbousi; President of the Supreme Council of the Judiciary and President of the Federal Court of Cassation, Faiq Zaidan; and the Iraqi National Security Advisor, Qassem Al-Araji.

During these talks, the Iraqi officials expressed their satisfaction at the opening of the Moroccan embassy in Baghdad, a move that will give a new impetus to the historical and human relations between the two countries.

The Iraqi officials considered this step as a strong signal of the interest that King Mohammed VI attaches to supporting Iraq and the Sovereign’s willingness to enhance Morocco-Iraq relations.

These talks were also an opportunity to commend the role played by Morocco at the Arab and Islamic levels, especially with regard to the defense of the Holy City of Al-Quds, under the leadership of King Mohammed VI, the chairman of Al-Quds Committee.

Bourita, for his part, reaffirmed Morocco’s support for Iraq’s sovereignty, security and stability, praising all efforts made by the Iraqi authorities to fight terrorism.
He also affirmed Morocco’s readiness to provide all kinds of support to brotherly Iraq and to strengthen bilateral cooperation.

In May 2022, the two countries had issued a joint statement during the official visit of the Iraqi Foreign Minister to Morocco, in which Iraq had affirmed its “support for the territorial integrity of the Kingdom and the efforts of the UN and its central role in achieving a political solution.”

The statement had recalled that Morocco had spared no effort during the various stages of the political process in Iraq to support and assist the Iraqi people in their efforts to establish democratic institutions, representative of all its components and to contribute to the reconstruction of a unified and democratic Iraq, which is open onto its Arab environment.