Côte d’Ivoire reiterated, during the C24 regional seminar for the Caribbean (May 14-16), its “full support” for Morocco’s autonomy initiative to reach a solution to the regional dispute over the Moroccan Sahara.
This position was reaffirmed by the Minister Counselor at the Permanent Mission of Côte d’Ivoire to the United Nations (UN) in New York, who stressed the autonomy initiative’s consistency with international law, the UN Charter, and relevant UN resolutions, notably those of the Security Council (SC) and the General Assembly.
“It allows residents to be actively involved in the management of the political and socio-economic life of this region,” he explained, noting that the populations of the Kingdom’s southern provinces freely choose their local and national representatives during the various democratic elections held.
In this regard, the diplomat commended the participation of several elected officials from the Moroccan Sahara in the work of this seminar.
The Ivorian official also shed light on the climate of peace and stability witnessed across the region, noting that the local population benefits from the Kingdom’s massive investments as part of the new development model for the southern provinces.
“These achievements have significantly enhanced the standard of living of the inhabitants and improved the Human Development Index of the Moroccan Sahara,” added the diplomat.
On a similar note, the Ivorian official expressed his country’s “full” support for the UN “which constitutes the appropriate framework for the settlement of this long-standing regional dispute”, calling for the continuation of the political process carried out under the exclusive auspices of the UN, to achieve a political, realistic, pragmatic and lasting solution based on compromise.
He also welcomed the visit of the UN Secretary General’s Personal Envoy for the Moroccan Sahara, Staffan de Mistura, on April 4, 2024, to the Kingdom, urged him to intensify his good offices in favor of resuming the round table process with the same participants and in the same format and dynamics as the two previous round tables held in 2018 and 2019 in Switzerland.
In this regard, the Minister Counselor stated that his country “notes with satisfaction” Morocco’s considerable efforts to reach a compromise solution to this dispute, commending the Kingdom’s respect of the military agreements, while inviting all stakeholders to respect the ceasefire and continue cooperation with MINURSO.