Liberia renews support for Morocco’s territorial integrity, sovereignty over the Sahara

Liberia reaffirmed, on Thursday in Rabat, its support for Morocco’s territorial integrity and sovereignty over all its territory, including the Moroccan Sahara.

This position was expressed in a joint communiqué issued following talks between Liberian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sara Beysolow Nyanti, who is on a visit to Morocco, and her Moroccan peer Nasser Bourita.

According to the joint communiqué, Nyanti reiterated her country’s support for the autonomy initiative put forward by the Kingdom in 2007, as the only credible and realistic solution for resolving the dispute over the Moroccan Sahara.

In this regard, she welcomed the efforts of the United Nations as the exclusive framework for achieving a realistic, practical, and lasting solution to the dispute over the Sahara.

Welcoming this decision, Bourita thanked Liberia for its constant and firm support to Morocco’s territorial integrity, and its clear position in favor of the Moroccan Sahara, throughout its actions on the ground by the opening of the Liberian Consulate in Dakhla in March 2020 and its participation on January 15, 2021, in the Ministerial Conference in Support of the Initiative of Autonomy under the Sovereignty of Morocco, held at the invitation of Morocco and the United States of America.

Nyanti also emphasized the role of the Kingdom’s southern provinces as a major African hub, calling for the experience of these provinces to be used as a basis for drawing up and implementing a development policy for the whole of Africa.

The Liberian official commended King Mohammed VI for his pioneering role in the political, economic, security and religious fields in Africa, and hailed the royal initiative to facilitate the access of the Sahel States to the Atlantic Ocean, with a view to making the Atlantic African space a geostrategic framework for intra-African cooperation and consultation. She praised in this regard the opportunity offered by the royal initiative to facilitate the access of the Sahel States to the Atlantic Ocean and connect them to the transport and communication networks of their regional environment, the joint communiqué stated.

The two officials also reiterated their determination to participate in the efforts to settle disputes in Africa and commended the constant efforts made by both countries and their leaders, King Mohammed VI and president Joseph Boakai, in favor of peace and sustainable development in Africa, the Communiqué stressed.

Addressing regional and international issues of common interest, Bourita and Nyanti noted with satisfaction their convergence of views on the various issues raised.

At the bilateral level, the two sides reaffirmed their resolve to work further to strengthen their cooperation and expand it to promising sectors, such as agriculture, health, fertilizers, fisheries, investment, water, and tourism, in addition to capacity building, and vocational training.

According to the joint Communiqué, the two sides share a common vision as to the promotion of trade and investment and aspire to establish a strong economic partnership by inviting the private sector of the two countries to play a leading role in boosting and strengthening their economic exchanges and contributing to sustainable development.

They likewise voiced their shared desire to make Moroccan-Liberian partnership an exceptional model of inter-African cooperation, based on the values of solidarity, exchange, and sharing.

The two sides, added the Communiqué, agreed to mutually support, as appropriate, the Moroccan and the Liberian bids at the level of regional and international cooperation mechanisms.

In addition, Morocco and Liberia welcomed the progress of the Morocco-Nigeria gas pipeline megaproject which, once completed, will help improve living conditions and strengthen regional economic integration by unlocking their industrial potential and curbing their energy deficit.

The two parties also agreed to hold the third meeting of the joint cooperation commission before the end of the second semester of 2024, the Joint Communiqué stated.