Morocco and Portugal strengthen their bilateral cooperation
As part of his working visit to Lisbon, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans Resident Abroad, Mr Nasser Bourita, held talks on 22th of july, with the President of the Assembly of the Portuguese Republic, Mr José Pedro Aguiar-Branco.
During this meeting both ministers emphasised the excellent bilateral relations between the Kingdom of Morocco and the Portuguese Republic, two strategic partners united by a shared vision for the future of the Mediterranean and the Atlantic.
On this occasion, Portugal reaffirmed through a Joint Declaration, its “full support for the Moroccan autonomy initiative as the most serious, credible and constructive basis for the settlement of the dispute over the Moroccan Sahara”.
This clear and unambiguous positioning reflects the strength of the political ties between Rabat and Lisbon, as well as the convergence of views on major regional and international issues, Maroc Diplomatie said.
Portugal also welcomed the Atlantic Initiatives launched by His Majesty King Mohammed VI, in favor of the development of the African continent and the enhancement of the Atlantic area as a lever for South-South cooperation. As a country bordering the Atlantic, Lisbon sees in these royal initiatives a bold and structuring vision for the common future of the continent.
This visit also allowed to reaffirm the shared desire to strengthen the strategic partnership between the two countries, a partnership erected as a true exemplary model of cooperation in the Western Mediterranean, based on mutual respect, the political trust and converging economic interests.
With this high-level meeting, Morocco and Portugal once again confirm their common desire to build a future anchored in stability, shared prosperity and enhanced regional cooperation.
Before arriving in Portugal, Nasser Bourita went to Skopje in North Macedonia in 21 of july, a visit during which he signed a joint declaration with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Foreign Affairs and External Trade of the Republic of North Macedonia, Timčo Mucunski.
In this joint declaration, the Republic of North Macedonia ‘considers the Autonomy Plan, presented by the Kingdom of Morocco in 2007, as the sole basis for the settlement of this dispute’.
Portugal and the Northern Macedonia have thus joined the position of other European countries supporting the Moroccan proposal, such as the United Kingdom and France, permanent members of the Security Council.
Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony until 1975, is controlled for the most part by Morocco but considered by the United Nations as a non-autonomous territory. For 50 years, a conflict has opposed Morocco to the separatists of the Polisario Front.
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