HIBAPRESS
The Deputy Prime Minister and Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hadja Lahbib, confirmed on Tuesday in Brussels, Belgium's commitment to act on both the diplomatic and economic levels based on its new position on the Moroccan Sahara.
In his intervention during a meeting of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the Belgian House of Representatives, Lahbib was keen to emphasize that the Belgian Consulate General in Rabat performs its duties in the Kingdom of Morocco without regional discrimination, including the Sahara region regarding services and consular assistance.
Lahbib pointed out that Belgians residing in the southern regions of the Kingdom are registered there and benefit from consular services on an equal footing with their citizens residing in the rest of the regions of Morocco, and that consular assistance is provided to Belgian visitors to the region.
The Belgian Deputy Prime Minister confirmed that he will ensure in the coming weeks the full implementation of the commitments made by Belgium within the framework of the political agreement signed between the two kingdoms on October 23, with the aim of further strengthening bilateral cooperation in many fields.
He explained in this regard that he will invite the Belgian Ambassador to Rabat to pay a visit to the Sahara region soon with the aim of preparing or supporting several economic initiatives, such as visiting Belgian companies, organizing economic forums in Belgium or Morocco, or carrying out an economic mission to the region that includes the three Belgian regional agencies.
He also announced the preparation of a governmental visit to Morocco during the next spring, focusing on the implementation of this agreement, noting that in celebration of Belgian-Moroccan relations, “we are working on organizing a high-level state visit with royal attendance in Morocco during this legislative term.”
Lahbib mentioned that the political agreement signed with Morocco in October represents an important step within the framework of a strategic partnership based on very important economic, human, and cultural ties, which allows exploring more economic opportunities available to Belgian companies in Morocco and vice versa, as well as strengthening dialogue on security issues, modernizing judicial cooperation, and strengthening cooperation in the fields of migration, combating organized crime, and money laundering.
He also reiterated Belgium's support for the Moroccan autonomy plan, describing it as “the most appropriate basis” for finding a solution to the conflict over the Sahara.
He affirmed that “the Moroccan initiative to negotiate the autonomy status of the Sahara region, which Morocco presented in 2007, which places the Sahara region within the framework of the Kingdom's sovereignty and national unity, constitutes from now on for Belgium the most appropriate, serious, credible, and realistic basis for reaching a just, lasting, and mutually acceptable political solution in accordance with the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council.”
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