Colombia announces a change of position and recognizes Moroccan sovereignty over the Sahara

Colombia announced a change in its position on the Sahara issue and reaffirmed its recognition of the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Morocco over its Southern Provinces, according to a dispatch issued yesterday, Friday, August 8, by the Moroccan Information Agency directly from Cali.

This new position was announced on Friday, August 8th, during a meeting between the Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans Residing Abroad, Nasser Bourita, and the Vice President of the Republic of Colombia, José Manuel Restrepo, which was also attended by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Omar Bula Escobar.

Bula Escobar declared at the time that Colombia "recognizes Morocco's sovereignty over its Sahara," thus establishing a new direction in the Colombian position on this issue. For his part, Restrepo emphasized that this announcement marks "a new beginning" in relations between Colombia and Morocco, stating that the Kingdom is "Colombia's main ally in Africa." He expressed his country's desire to establish a strategic partnership with Morocco.

For his part, Nasser Bourita described Colombia's decision to withdraw recognition of the self-proclaimed "RASD" and to recognize Morocco's sovereignty over its Sahara as "historic," stressing that this will likely give "a significant boost" to bilateral relations.

The head of diplomacy of that Maghreb Kingdom further specified that Morocco and Colombia can serve as economic platforms for each other, leveraging their respective positions in Africa and Latin America. Bourita finally stated that his presence in Cali, at the behest of King Mohammed VI, to represent the Moroccan Sovereign at the inauguration ceremony of the new President, Abelardo de la Espriella, reflects the Kingdom's desire to support this new dynamic and elevate Moroccan-Colombian relations to a higher level.