The Dominican Republic Intends to Open a Consulate in Dakhla

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The Dominican Republic has announced its intention to open a consulate in the city of Dakhla, a move that represents another success for the “consulate” diplomacy initiated by Morocco as part of its efforts to strengthen its sovereignty over the Sahara.

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This announcement was made during the reception of Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation, and Moroccan Expatriates, Nasser Bourita, by the President of the Dominican Republic, Luis Abinader, on Saturday at the presidential palace in Santo Domingo, on the sidelines of his inauguration ceremony.

A statement from the Dominican Republic’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs indicated that President Abinader tasked Bourita with conveying to King Mohammed VI of Morocco the “steadfast support of the Dominican Republic for Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara and its intention to prioritize the opening of a consulate in Dakhla within its future expansion plans.”

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The statement clarified that President Abinader reaffirmed that the Dominican Republic “considers the autonomy plan proposed by Morocco as the only solution to the conflict over the Sahara.”

It added that during this meeting, which took place at the National Palace on the sidelines of the inauguration ceremony of the President of the Dominican Republic, Minister Bourita, representing King Mohammed VI, conveyed to President Abinader the King’s congratulations and best wishes for success in his new term.

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According to the same source, the minister also conveyed the Moroccan King’s invitation to President Abinader to make an official visit to Morocco to establish a framework for deepening bilateral relations in various fields.

President Abinader expressed on this occasion his desire to strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries in all areas and his intention to visit Morocco in response to King Mohammed VI‘s invitation.

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The Dominican Republic had already renewed, on July 29, 2023, its “absolute recognition of the Moroccan Sahara,” affirming that it “positively views” the opening of a consulate in Dakhla, according to a letter sent by Dominican Foreign Minister Roberto Alvarez to his Moroccan counterpart regarding  the Moroccan Sahara issue, according to a statement from the Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The recognition of Morocco’s sovereignty over the Moroccan Sahara and support for the autonomy proposal, which Morocco presents as the “only solution” to this decades-long thorny issue, continues to grow. Before the recent French recognition, many countries had already recognized the Moroccan Sahara. Leading among these countries is the United States, whose former President Donald Trump had declared support for Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara.

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Morocco’s position was recently strengthened by the announcement, on July 30, by French President Emmanuel Macron, of his country’s support for Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara, both presently and in the future, and France’s intention to align itself with this position at national and international levels, according to a statement from the Royal Palace, confirming the “consistency of France’s position on this issue related to the national security of the Kingdom.”

King Mohammed VI praised the French recognition and expressed, in a letter sent to the French President, his great appreciation for France’s clear support for Morocco’s sovereignty over its Sahara, with an explicit invitation to his French counterpart to visit Rabat.

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French recognition of Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara follows a radical change and a historic turning point in Spain’s position, the former colonial power of the Sahara, after Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez publicly declared for the first time on March 19, 2022, his support for Morocco’s position, considering the autonomy proposal as “the most serious, realistic, and credible basis for resolving the conflict.”

Before this historic turning point in Madrid’s position, it is also important to highlight the position expressed by the President of the Federal Republic of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, in a letter sent to King Mohammed VI in January 2022, where he affirmed that Germany “considers the autonomy plan presented in 2007 as a serious and credible effort by Morocco, and a good basis for reaching an agreement” on this regional conflict.

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Similarly, the fact that the Netherlands, on May 11, 2022, considered the autonomy initiative as “a serious and credible contribution” to the political process under the auspices of the United Nations to find a solution to the Sahara issue, and Belgium’s declaration on October 21 of the same year of its support for the autonomy plan, are other European moves that have strengthened Morocco’s position and given it new momentum.

In addition to European support, the recognition by the United States of Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara at the end of 2020 also prompted several African countries, as well as Gulf Cooperation Council states and Jordan, to recognize the Moroccan Sahara and open diplomatic representations in the cities of Laayoune and Dakhla.

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Last Wednesday, the Republic of Chad opened a consulate general in Dakhla, bringing the number of consulates in the southern provinces to 29, including 17 consulates in Dakhla.

Moroccan diplomacy continues to progress steadily, mobilizing increasing international support for the autonomy proposal that Morocco presents as a fair and definitive solution to the Moroccan Sahara issue, as evidenced by the diplomatic momentum in the southern provinces, which the media refers to as “consulate diplomacy.”

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As part of this diplomacy, Rabat has succeeded in securing significant political support, reflected in the opening of representations by numerous countries in the region, including the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Comoros, Gabon, Côte d’Ivoire, Zambia, Burkina Faso, the Republic of Guinea-Bissau, and the Central African Republic.

The opening of these representations also has legal importance, as it falls within the framework of the 1993 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

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This momentum is also expected to strengthen cooperation between Morocco and these countries, exploring the significant economic opportunities that the southern provinces present as a gateway to West Africa.

Diplomatically, the proliferation of consulate openings reflects the success of Moroccan diplomacy in achieving significant gains in the national issue and puts an end to the promotion of falsehoods by parties hostile to the Kingdom’s territorial integrity.