Morocco’s monarch, King Mohammed VI, has met with the foreign ministers of the triad that forms the Sahel States Alliance.

The alliance is a confederation formed among Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger Republic shortly after their exit from ECOWAS following the military rule in the countries.

King Mohammed VI hosted the three foreign ministers as part of Morocco’s strong and longstanding relations with the three countries.

According to a release by the Moroccan News Agency, MAP, the relationship of Morocco with the three West African countries has always been characterised by sincere friendship, mutual respect, active solidarity, and fruitful cooperation.

The three foreign ministers expressed gratitude to Morocco for granting access for the Sahel countries to the Atlantic Ocean. The action, as well as the other royal initiatives, the ministers observed, are meant to promote the economic and social development of the countries of the region and their peoples.

On this, the ministers conveyed their Heads of State’s gratitude to King Mohammed VI. In attendance were Karamoko Jean Marie Traoré, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Cooperation, and Burkinabe Nationals Abroad of Burkina Faso; Abdoulaye Diop, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Republic of Mali; and Bakary Yaou Sangaré, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation, and Nigeriens Abroad of the Transitional Government of the Republic of Niger.

More countries are putting their weight behind Morocco’s sovereignty over the Western Sahara as France becomes the latest to do so.

In a statement released Tuesday by the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs following a meeting between the French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Jean-Noël Barrot, and Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates Nasser Bourita, France reaffirmed its “unwavering” position on the issue of the Moroccan Sahara.

The statement reiterates the position expressed by President Emmanuel Macron to King Mohammed VI in his letter dated July 30, 2024, emphasizing that “for France, the present and future of Western Sahara lie within the framework of Moroccan sovereignty,” while recalling the “unwavering nature of France’s position” and its commitment to “act consistently with this position at both the national and international levels.”

Furthermore, the French Minister reiterated France’s “clear and consistent support for the autonomy plan under Moroccan sovereignty,” describing it as “the only framework within which this issue should be resolved” and stressing that it is “the sole basis” for reaching a political solution, according to the statement.

Noting the “growing international consensus” in support of Morocco’s autonomy initiative, Jean-Noël Barrot stated that France intends to fully contribute to this momentum.

Additionally, France reaffirmed its commitment “to support Morocco’s significant efforts in promoting economic and social development” in the southern provinces of the Kingdom, highlighting the various measures taken in this regard and expressing its willingness to continue this dynamic, according to the same source.

The United States has again reaffirmed Morocco’s sovereignty over the Western Sahara. This came up in a communication by US President Donald Trump to the Moroccan monarch, King Mohammed VI.

At a meeting on Tuesday in Washington between Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates, Nasser Bourita, and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the latter reiterated that “the United States recognizes Moroccan sovereignty over [the] Sahara.”

Earlier, during a phone conversation in December 2020 between His Majesty King Mohammed VI and the President of the United States, Donald Trump, the U.S. President informed the Sovereign of the issuance of a presidential proclamation, an act with undeniable legal and political weight and immediate effect, announcing the decision of the United States to recognize the full sovereignty of the Kingdom of Morocco over the entire Moroccan Sahara region.

The head of American diplomacy also reiterated that the U.S. “supports Morocco’s serious, credible, and realistic Autonomy Proposal as the only basis for a just and lasting solution to the dispute,” Spokesperson for the United States Department of State, Tammy Bruce, said.

Marco Rubio also reiterated that the U.S. “continues to believe that genuine autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty is the only feasible solution.”

In this respect, he stated that the U.S. President is “urging for the parties to engage in discussions without delay, using Morocco’s Autonomy Proposal as the only framework, to negotiate a mutually acceptable solution.”

 The Secretary of State noted that “the United States would facilitate progress toward this aim,” the Spokesperson concluded.

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