Belgium supports the Moroccan Autonomy Plan for Western Sahara
- ‘A very good solution for both parties’
- Full support for the Atlantic Facade
- Morocco and Belgium reaffirm their willingness to continue and strengthen
Morocco's rise in international politics is increasingly present in the foreign policy decisions of the world's major economic powers. It is in this context that Belgium, following the lead of its European and American partners, has expressed its support for the Moroccan Autonomy Plan for Western Sahara.
Along with Belgium, there are more than 100 countries that consider the proposal made by Morocco in 2007 to be the only and best solution for both parties in the Sahara conflict. These countries notably include the United States, France, Spain and Israel.
Relations between Belgium and Morocco are excellent: the Moroccan community is the largest in the European country, with more than 230,000 residents in Belgium. A figure that puts the diplomatic meetings between the two nations into context.
‘A very good solution for both parties’
At the meeting in Rabat between Nasser Bourita, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Bernard Quintin, Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Institutions, Belgium made it clear that it ‘considers the Moroccan autonomy initiative, presented in 2007, to be a serious and credible effort on the part of Morocco and a very good basis for a solution accepted by the parties’.
In Quintin's words, the meeting with his Moroccan counterpart allowed him to understand the reality of Morocco's plan and the reasons why ‘dozens of partners from all over the world’ have given their approval to the ‘ins and outs of this plan’.
Aware of the importance for Morocco, likewise, Quintin expressed Belgium's support for ‘UN Security Council Resolution 2703, which outlined the role and responsibility of the parties in the search for a realistic, pragmatic, lasting and compromise-based political solution’.
Full support for the Atlantic Facade
Promoting peace, stability and socio-economic development in Africa are the main objectives of the Atlantic Facade initiative proposed and promoted by the King of Morocco, Mohammed VI. This plan seeks to connect the 14 countries of the African coast and improve energy and trade integration in the region.
The North African country's current position as a key player in the foreign policy of Africa and the Maghreb region is due to its role in mediating regional conflicts and its growing economic influence, backed by strategic agreements with global powers and international organisations.
In this context, the Belgian minister ‘welcomed the efforts made by Morocco and Mohammed VI, in particular the Royal Initiative aimed at facilitating access for the Sahel countries to the Atlantic Ocean, promoting peace, stability and socio-economic development in Africa and the Process of the African Atlantic States.
Morocco and Belgium reaffirm their willingness to continue and strengthen
In addition to Western Sahara and the Atlantic Facade, the two ministers reached several preliminary agreements that will strengthen political dialogue and further promote economic partnership in terms of trade and investment, particularly in the field of energy transition and green energy, a sector in which Morocco is at the forefront.
Morocco and Belgium ‘welcomed the excellent and historic bilateral relations and their strategic importance’, while reaffirming their willingness to continue and strengthen the momentum of their partnership in all areas.
Quintin emphasised the many ambitious reforms carried out by Mohammed VI, in particular the reform of the Family Code and advanced regionalisation.