Saudi Arabia reaffirms its support for Morocco's sovereignty over the Sahara
The Saudi Arabian Royal Court has issued an urgent directive ordering Saudi Arabian government entities not to use the name "Western Sahara" or display a divided map of Morocco.
This new directive, which is based on Royal Decree No. 59609 issued recently by the Saudi royal authorities, stresses the importance of complying with the law and completing the necessary measures.
The official document was sent to government departments in order for all entities to adhere to the royal decree and comply with the required measures, which include displaying the complete and undivided map of Morocco and not using the term "Western Sahara" to refer to the southern regions of the Kingdom.
The Saudi Ministry of Education has already shared the decree with all its affiliated institutions to ensure compliance with the new law.
In this regard, Yousef bin Abdullah Al Benyan, Saudi Minister of Education, has stated that "the message included the directive of His Excellency (the Saudi King) to emphatically guarantee the commitment of the relevant authorities to the stipulations of the royal decree referred to".
This move directly from the Saudi Royal Court is in line with Riyadh's explicit recognition and unwavering support for Morocco's sovereignty over its territories, including the Sahara region.
On several occasions, Saudi authorities have expressed their support for Morocco's position on the Sahara issue and have advocated for the country's territorial integrity.
In this regard, Saudi Arabia reiterated its support for Morocco during the Fourth Committee of the UN General Assembly last October.
Hassan Ben Mohammed Al Amri, the Saudi Kingdom's representative to the UN, underlined his country's "support for the autonomy initiative in the Moroccan Sahara within the framework of Morocco's sovereignty and territorial integrity".
Al Amri also described the Moroccan autonomy plan "as a solution in accordance with international law and the resolutions of the UN Security Council and the General Assembly". The Saudi ambassador to the UN also stressed that his country will reject anything that harms Morocco's interests or its territorial integrity.
Morocco and Saudi Arabia, traditional allies, maintain close cooperation in various fields such as trade and the economy. In this regard, a business meeting was held last week in Riyadh between the General Confederation of Moroccan Enterprises (CGEM) and the Federation of Saudi Chambers in order to explore new avenues of investment between the two kingdoms.