Brazil’s stand on Sahara is ‘firm’, partnership with Morocco is ‘important’

President of the Brazilian Senate, Rodrigo Otávio Soares Pacheco, reaffirmed from Rabat that his country’s position on the Sahara issue is “firm” and that Morocco is “an important” partner for Brazil.

Brazil has repeatedly praised Morocco’s serious and credible efforts to move forward towards the settlement of the Sahara dispute, within the framework of the autonomy initiative presented by the Kingdom in 2007.

In a statement to the press following talks with Moroccan foreign minister Nasser Bourita, President of the Brazilian Senate said that the ties between Morocco and Brazil are “multiple” and that his visit to Rabat today comes in the context of strengthening this relationship and examining issues of shared interest.

He added that Morocco is “an important partner for Brazil, as the two countries share common points and challenges, most notably climate issues.”

He said Brazil would be happy to see Morocco attend a climate conference that his country will host next year, noting that Morocco and Brazil have common climate challenges and thus have a shared responsibility to overcome these challenges. The economic aspect is also one of the components uniting the two countries, he said.

“Our economic relations are developing, especially in food exchanges, and we aspire to strengthen the presence of Brazilian products in Morocco,” he said, recalling the reopening of the direct air route between Casablanca and São Paulo.

The Senator, who described his visit to Morocco as fruitful, said the two countries are counting on the direct airline to be “a stage to strengthen this rapprochement, especially to facilitate the cultural rapprochement between young people from both countries.”

November marks the 20th anniversary of King Mohammed VI’s November 2004 visit to Brazil, one of the kingdom’s top ten trading partners and a potential defense partner.