The challenges of diplomatic activities in the southern provinces explained by researcher Moussaoui Ajlaoui

The list of African countries which have confirmed their support for the territorial integrity of Morocco is long. For these states, only the autonomy plan under Moroccan sovereignty is able to resolve the dispute around the Sahara. This is the position reaffirmed, in Rabat and Laâyoune, by the heads of diplomacy of Senegal, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Malawi and the Gambia, recalls Moussaoui Ajlaoui, political scientist, in an interview with Le360.

It was in Laâyoune that Nasser Bourita, Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans Living Abroad, received Sara Beysolow Nyanti, his counterpart from Liberia, on Friday January 17. A few hours earlier, he had also co-chaired the Moroccan-Ivorian Joint Commission with Adom Kacou Houadja Léon, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Côte d’Ivoire.

The choice of the capital of the southern provinces for holding these two meetings is not fortuitous, assures researcher Moussaoui Ajlaoui: “It has a strong symbolic value for the future and shows that the cities of Laâyoune and Dakhla are gradually establishing themselves as centers of Moroccan diplomatic action..»

For the expert, these meetings are part of Morocco’s broader strategy, as part of the preparation for the next summit of the African Union (AU). “Morocco intends to run, in particular, for the position of vice-president of the AU Commission», Specifies Moussaoui Ajlaoui, recalling that Liberia and Ivory Coast are involved in the mega-project of the African Atlantic Gas Pipeline, an energy corridor which crosses 13 countries.

Read also: Morocco-Côte d’Ivoire and Morocco-Liberia joint commissions: intense diplomatic activities of Nasser Bourita in Laâyoune

«It is a geopolitical and economic issue in line with the AU agenda and ECOWAS agreements on economic integration.», he notes. “This reinforces Morocco’s African roots and its links, in particular with neighboring countries, particularly those located in West Africa. In this regard, we must not forget the royal initiative for the access of the Sahel States to the Atlantic, a project already supported by various plans, financing and strategies in progress.», Specifies the researcher.

Finally, Moussaoui Ajlaoui returns to Donald Trump’s return to the White House, recalling that it was during his first term that the United States officially recognized the Moroccan nature of the Sahara. “The future US administration should preserve, or even strengthen, this position, in particular through the role of influential figures such as future Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the national security advisor in charge of African affairs.», he concludes.