Germany hails Morocco’s autonomy proposal for Sahara: A basis for a solution
Morocco and Germany devoted their reconciliation to a diplomatic crisis during talks between Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and her counterpart Nasser Bourita in Rabat on Thursday.
A joint statement issued after the talks said the autonomy proposal was a “good basis” for resolving the conflict in Western Sahara.
“Germany considers the autonomy plan a serious and credible effort by Morocco and a good basis for an acceptable solution,” the statement said.
The historically stable Moroccan-German relationship has been tense since March 2012 when Rabat decided to suspend all communication with the German embassy in Morocco.
The move came in response to Berlin’s criticism of the US decision to recognize Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara in late 2020, a Moroccan official told AFP.
However, relations witnessed a breakthrough late last year after the German Foreign Ministry affirmed that it “supports the personal envoy of the United Nations in his search for a just political solution,” noting “the important contribution made by Morocco in 2007 to reach this solution through the autonomy proposal.”
Rabat and Berlin are seeking to establish a “strong partnership for the future” through the development of investments, trade and cooperation, notably in the fields of environment, water management and renewable energies, the joint statement said on Thursday.
