The President of the Chamber of Deputies of the Republic of Paraguay, Raúl Luís Latorre, reaffirmed on Tuesday in Geneva his country’s “firm” and “constant” support for the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Morocco over its southern provinces, welcoming the Moroccan autonomy initiative as a ‘fair’ and “credible” solution to the regional dispute over the Moroccan Sahara.
In a statement to the press following his meeting with the President of the House of Councillors, Mohamed Ould Errachid, on the sidelines of the 151st Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, the Paraguayan official stressed that Paraguay considers the Sahara to be an integral part of Morocco, affirming that Paraguay’s position on this issue is “clear and unequivocal.”
“We discussed the deep friendship between Paraguay and the Kingdom of Morocco, as well as our country’s firm position in support of Morocco’s territorial integrity,” said Mr. Luís Latorre, who was accompanied by a large parliamentary delegation during the meeting.
On this occasion, the President of the Paraguayan Parliament presented Mr. Ould Errachid with a copy of the resolution unanimously adopted by the Paraguayan Chamber of Deputies, which recognizes Morocco’s sovereignty over its Sahara and supports the Moroccan initiative for autonomy for the Moroccan Sahara.
For his part, Mohamed Ould Errachid praised Paraguay’s “clear, courageous, and consistent” position on the issue of the Moroccan Sahara, recalling the milestones of this support, notably the official withdrawal of recognition of the pseudo-the so called “SADR” in January 2014, followed by its strong support for the Moroccan autonomy initiative, as well as the recent announcement of the upcoming opening of a Paraguayan consulate in the southern provinces of the Kingdom.
Mr. Ould Errachid also highlighted the important role of the Paraguayan Parliament, which has adopted several resolutions to this effect, the latest in November 2024, stressing that Morocco’s autonomy proposal is serious, credible, and constitutes the only realistic solution to the artificial conflict over the Moroccan Sahara.
The meeting also provided an opportunity to agree on reciprocal parliamentary visits between the two legislative institutions with a view to strengthening South-South cooperation, particularly within the framework of MERCOSUR, whose Vice-President took part in the meeting, and the Morocco-Latin America Economic Forum.
This meeting took place in the presence of members of the House of Councillors, Miloud Masside (UMT), Mohammed Salem Benmassoud (UGTM), Mustapha Moucharik (RNI), and Abderrahman Oiffa (PAM), as well as Secretary General El Assad Zerouali, the President’s Chief of Staff, Mansour Lambarki, and the Director of External Relations and Communication, Saad Ghazi.
Meanwhile Poland considers the autonomy plan, proposed by Morocco in 2007, as “the serious, realistic and pragmatic basis for a lasting solution” to the regional conflict over the Moroccan Sahara.
Poland’s new position was expressed by Poland’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Radosław Sikorski, in a Joint Communiqué issued, on Tuesday, following a phone conversation with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates, Nasser Bourita.
Poland’s support for the Moroccan Autonomy Initiative follows the support of several European Union (EU) member countries.
Henceforth, 23 EU member countries and more than 120 countries support a lasting solution within the framework of Autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty.
