The King of Morocco in Paris with his children thanks Panama for its support for Moroccan territorial integrity
The King of Morocco, Mohamed VI, from Paris where he is on a few days' rest with his children, has expressed his gratitude to the President of the Republic of Panama, José Raúl Mulino Quintero, for the Panamanian country's latest decision to suspend diplomatic relations with the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR).
The Panamanian determination has meant a great support to the territorial integrity of Morocco because it means a break of Panama with the postulates of the SADR, pro-independence entity that seeks the holding of a popular consultation of the Saharawis to decide on the territorial future of Western Sahara, in this case outside Moroccan sovereignty.
‘I would like to send you my sincere thanks, following the wise decision taken by your friendly country, on 21 November 2024, regarding the primary national cause of the Kingdom of Morocco,’ King Mohammed VI, who in recent hours has been enjoying time with his children, Crown Prince Moulay Hassan and Princess Lalla Khadija, in Paris, on the occasion of the holidays enjoyed by the members of the royal family in France, said officially.
‘This significant decision confirms Morocco's legitimate rights,’ said the Alawite monarch, adding that it ‘corresponds to international law and responds to the current global dynamic’.
‘I welcome the opening of a new page in the bilateral relations between the Kingdom of Morocco and the Republic of Panama,’ said the King of Morocco, specifying that ‘the Kingdom is animated by a genuine desire to strengthen ties of friendship and cooperation with Panama, in all areas,’ for the benefit of both nations.
The Government of the Republic of Panama officially announced the suspension of diplomatic relations with SADR ‘within the framework of the applicable rules of international law’.
According to the official communiqué issued at the time by the Panamanian government: ‘The Republic of Panama, prioritising the national interest and faithful to the fundamental principles of its foreign policy, reaffirms its conviction with the purposes and values that guide multilateralism and reiterates its willingness to continue supporting the efforts promoted by the Secretary General and the international community, within the framework of the United Nations’.
This withdrawal of Panamanian confidence in SADR was a major setback for SADR and for the pro-independence thesis on Western Sahara. Especially since Panama was the first nation to recognise SADR, and the country that hosted what was supposedly the first embassy of the so-called pseudo-state in Latin America (in 1980).
For Morocco, Western Sahara is part of its southern provinces and it proposes an Autonomy Plan for the area, respecting the resolutions of the United Nations (UN). The North African country proposes a broad autonomy for Western Sahara under Moroccan sovereignty with the aim of favouring the territory's development in all areas, giving the Saharawi authorities a great deal of room for manoeuvre, leaving defence and foreign policy in the hands of the Moroccan state.
This proposal has received the support of more than 100 countries, including important countries such as the United States, France, the United Arab Emirates, Israel, Germany and Spain, which consider it the most serious, credible and realistic way of resolving the Saharawi dispute, which has lasted almost five decades since Spain's departure from the area as a colonial power.
On the other side is SADR and the related Polisario Front group, which advocate holding a referendum on independence for the Sahrawi population, which has less international backing and faces difficulties in its implementation, such as those related to the creation of an electoral census of Sahrawis, who are divided between those settled mainly in the so-called southern provinces of Morocco and those living in the refugee camps in Algeria, under difficult living conditions.
The King of Morocco with his children in Paris
The announcement of Mohammed VI's thanks to the Panamanian government coincided with the Moroccan monarch's stay in Paris with his children, Crown Prince Moulay Hassan and Princess Lalla Khadija.
The Alawite monarch was seen with his children strolling around Paris during the holidays enjoyed by the members of the royal family in France, a country with which Morocco has excellent relations, coinciding also with French support for Morocco's Autonomy Plan for Western Sahara. A French determination that made possible closer Franco-Moroccan diplomatic ties after a period of political estrangement in previous years.
Thus, the King of Morocco has appeared in public with his two sons in an affectionate and close attitude, showing that the monarch is also in good health, especially after the concern felt by Moroccan citizens about the health of their sovereign after he appeared with a medical crutch during the official reception offered to the French President, Emmanuel Macron, in Rabat, on the occasion of the three-day state visit of the French leader at the end of October last year. According to medical sources, the King of Morocco's ailment was due to a muscle contraction in his back, caused by compression of the sciatic nerve.
It is customary to see King Mohammed VI strolling the streets of France, where he often prefers to spend his annual holidays, along with other European cities, a little removed from the usual protocol on Moroccan soil. These habits also make it possible for the Moroccan community living abroad to be close to the Alawi monarch and to meet him in certain areas outside Moroccan territory.