UK Values Morocco’s Serious Efforts in Western Sahara Political Process
The UK acknowledged on Tuesday Morocco’s dedication to the UN-sponsored political process in Western Sahara and praised the nation for its earnest efforts to achieve a long-term, politically mediated settlement to the territorial conflict.
The statement was delivered by the British government during the fourth round of the continuing Strategic Dialogue between Morocco and the UK.
The discussion session is being co-chaired by Lord Ahmad, the UK’s Minister of State for the Middle East, North Africa, South Asia, and the UN, and Nasser Bourita, the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
The UK reiterated throughout the meeting its readiness to support UN efforts to persuade the parties to the Sahara conflict to accept a fair, long-term, and amicable political solution to the ongoing crisis.
Bourita and Lord Ahmed both reiterated their unwavering support for Staffan de Mistura, the UNSG’s personal envoy, and his efforts to find a political resolution to the conflict.
The UK’s comments follow a recent trip by a group of British conservative MPs to Laayoune, a city in southern Morocco.
The purpose of the trip was to develop a “better understanding” of the circumstances in southern Morocco’s Western Sahara region.
The development level in the Laayoune Sakia El Hamra region surprised the British MPs after their tour, they said.
The goal of the tour, according to MP Lord Stuart Polak, was to provide British MPs a “clear understanding, allowing them to convey to their citizens the reality of development and the significant potential enjoyed by this region.”
On April 18, British MPs endorsed Morocco’s Autonomy Plan as a serious and reliable foundation for resolving the Western Sahara conflict.
The positive and expanding bilateral relations between Morocco and the UK are reflected in today’s discussion session. The two nations collaborate in a variety of areas, including trade and security.
The British delegation praised Morocco’s security efforts at the meeting today, highlighting the North African nation’s positive contribution to the advancement of international and regional peace and security as well as its widely praised initiatives in the fight against terrorism and violent extremism.
In terms of trade, recent data show that exports and imports between the two nations totaled $3.6 billion between the third quarter of 2021 and the same period in 2022.