Sahara: United Arab Emirates Reaffirms “Full Support” for Morocco’s Sovereignty

On Jun 17, 2023

The United Arab Emirates reaffirmed their “full support” for Morocco’s sovereignty and legal rights over the entirety of the Sahara before the United Nations Committee of 24 (C-24).

During the annual C-24 meeting in New York, Majid Khamis Al Ali, the Emirati representative, declared, “The State of the United Arab Emirates renews its full support for the brotherly Kingdom of Morocco in the actions it undertakes to defend its legitimate rights and its just causes, including its sovereignty over the entire region of the Moroccan Sahara.”

The diplomat emphasized that this plan is a “important solution” that complies with the UN Charter and UN resolutions and respects Morocco’s territorial integrity. He also stated that his nation supports the Autonomy initiative that Morocco presented in 2007 and that the Security Council had deemed “serious and credible” in its resolutions.

He also emphasized the significance of the parties restarting the roundtable process and welcomed the hosting of the two roundtable meetings in Geneva in 2018 and 2019. The diplomat also praised Staffan de Mistura, the UN Secretary General’s personal representative to the Sahara, for his efforts and the three trips he made to the area in January, July, and September.

He added that the United Arab Emirates’ unwavering belief in Morocco’s sovereignty over its Sahara, as with other nations, is reflected by the opening of a consulate general there by his nation, insisting that the territorial integrity of the Kingdom must not be attacked.

In keeping with this, the ambassador hailed the inauguration of the general consulates of 28 nations in the cities of Laâyoune and Dakhla.

The Emirati diplomat applauded Morocco’s ongoing efforts to enhance the living conditions of those who live in the Sahara and to strengthen the indices of human development in this area within the framework of the development plan unveiled by HM King Mohammed VI in 2015.