Morocco’s King welcomes growing international support for Moroccan sovereignty over the Sahara

King Mohammed VI highlighted the positive momentum in the Sahara issue with the growing support for the Kingdom’s sovereignty over the territory and its autonomy plan.

In a speech on the opening of the Fall session of the parliament, King Mohammed VI,  who was accompanied by Crown Prince Moulay El Hassan and Prince Moulay Rachid, recalled that now two permanent members of the UN security council back Morocco’s sovereignty over its southern provinces: The United States and France.

“The French Republic now supports the sovereignty of the Kingdom over the entire territory of the Sahara. It also backs the Autonomy Initiative within the framework of Morocco’s territorial integrity as the sole basis for resolving this artificial regional conflict,” said the King.

In July, French President Emmanuel Macron backed, in a letter to King Mohammed VI, Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara and recognized the autonomy plan as the only solution to the conflict, opening promising prospects for bilateral ties.

“I wish to take this opportunity to offer, personally and on behalf of the Moroccan people, our most sincere thanks and to express our gratitude to France and to His Excellency President Emmanuel Macron, for this unequivocal support for the Sahara as a Moroccan territory,” the King said in the speech that he devoted entirely to the Sahara issue.

The French position upholds justice and legitimacy as well as Morocco’s historical rights, he said, noting that “this recognition emanates from a major country, which is a permanent member of the Security Council and an influential player on the global stage.”

Through its position, France- which is fully aware of the ins and outs of the Sahara issue- supports the efforts exerted at the United Nations level to lay the groundwork for a political process that would lead to a final settlement of this issue within the framework of Moroccan sovereignty, the Moroccan monarch said.

The King also recalled the stances of Arab and African sister nations, “which have been clearly and steadfastly backing the Kingdom’s territorial integrity, especially the countries that have opened consulates in Laayoun and Dakhla.”

In this respect, the King highlighted the growing support for the autonomy plan under Moroccan sovereignty, citing former colonial power Spain which considered the option as “the solution” to the Sahara issue.

“I wish to express my deep appreciation to all our friends and partners for supporting Morocco’s foremost cause,” said the King.

King Mohammed VI also thanked the countries that invest or have trade relations with the southern provinces, saying that in doing so they are contributing to the region’s social and economic development “thereby reinforcing the status of the southern provinces as a hub for interaction and exchange between Morocco and the rest of Africa.”

“This puts our southern provinces front and center in the strategic, continental initiatives that I have launched, such as the Morocco-Nigeria Gas Pipeline project, the African Atlantic countries initiative, and the initiative designed to enable African Sahel countries to have access to the Atlantic Ocean,” said the King