The opening by several African countries of diplomatic representations in the southern provinces is the fruit of the enlightened vision of King Mohammed VI, said the Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans living abroad, Nasser Bourita. .
This “well-studied” African strategy is based on the opening of the Kingdom to all regions of the continent and the desire to make the southern provinces a link between Morocco and its African depth, said Nasser Bourita who was speaking. Thursday during a joint press briefing with his counterpart from Malawi, Eisenhower Nduwa Mkaka, at the end of the inauguration ceremony of the consulate general of this country in Laayoune.
He added that this new African policy of the Kingdom, the foundations of which were laid down by the Sovereign, had a “very positive” impact on the development of the dossier of the territorial integrity of the Kingdom.
The minister noted that 1/3 of the consulates opened so far in Laâyoune and Dakhla belong to African countries representing all regions of the continent: West Africa, East Africa and Southern Africa , specifying that several other countries of the continent have expressed their desire to soon inaugurate representations in the southern provinces of the Kingdom.
He recalled in this context that five countries of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) now have diplomatic branches in the Moroccan Sahara: DRC, Zambia, Eswatini, Comoros Islands, in addition to Malawi.
Nasser Bourita noted that the opening of a Malawian consulate in Laâyoune is part of the new dynamic of bilateral relations, after the decision of this country to withdraw in 2017 its recognition of the pseudo “SADR”, and the will of the two States to further develop their cooperation.
Since that date, he continued, relations between the two countries have experienced sustained development in the political, economic and experience-sharing fields in all sectors, recalling the decision of Morocco and Malawi to soon bring together the bilateral joint commission and to open representations in Rabat and Lilongwe.
The minister expressed the hope that the opening of the Malawian consulate in Laayoune could serve as a tool for the consolidation of economic relations and human exchanges between the two countries and the two peoples.
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