Moroccan Sahara: El Salvador Reiterates Support for Morocco’s Sovereignty Over its Southern Provinces – Vice President –

The Vice President of El Salvador, Felix Ulloa, said on Monday in Rabat that his country has always backed the Kingdom’s sovereignty over its southern provinces, reiterating El Salvador’s support to Morocco’s territorial integrity and autonomy plan as the “only solution” to this regional dispute. Ulloa, who spoke at a press briefing held after his talks with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates, Nasser Bourita, said that this position was “clearly expressed in 2019” on the occasion of the visit made by the Minister of International Relations of El Salvador, Alexandra Hill Tinoco, to the Kingdom. The Salvadoran official had reaffirmed his country’s support to the Moroccan Sahara and the autonomy initiative, proposed by the Kingdom, calling it the “only solution” to this regional dispute. Hill Tinoco had also highlighted the “final withdrawal” of his country’s recognition of the “puppet entity” of the “sadr”, ensuring that this decision, taken by President Nayib Bukele, is an illustration of the willingness of the Republic of El Salvador to open up to the Arab world, and in particular to Morocco. The Republic of El Salvador considers that the Autonomy Initiative is “the only basis for a realistic, viable and serious solution, within the framework of full respect for the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Morocco and its national sovereignty over its southern provinces,” emphasizes the Joint Declaration issued, in 2019, at the end of the working visit of the head of the Salvadoran diplomacy. The Salvadoran government “supports the serious and credible efforts” made by Morocco to seek a “realistic, pragmatic and lasting political solution to this regional dispute, which is based on compromise,” the Declaration adds. The Vice President of El Salvador expressed, during his meeting with Bourita, the willingness of his country to strengthen its support for the Moroccan Sahara issue, both within the United Nations and bilaterally. “This dynamic has allowed us to open embassies in our respective countries,” he said, recalling, in this regard, the visit made last October in the Kingdom, by Hill Tinoco, during which she inaugurated the Embassy of the Republic of El Salvador in Rabat, the first of its kind in Africa. Ulloa said that the strengthening of ties between the two countries has allowed to launch a series of initiatives to consolidate bilateral cooperation relations, citing as an example the signing of a twinning between the capitals Rabat and San Salvador, as well as the exchange of visits between parliamentary and business delegations of both countries. He also expressed his thanks to the Kingdom for the financial and technical assistance provided to his country in order to launch a set of projects in the sectors of agriculture and livestock and new technologies. The Salvadoran official also stressed the need to establish a new roadmap with a view to consolidating bilateral relations and joint cooperation in the respective regions of the two countries, expressing the readiness of his country, “which will always stand by the Kingdom”, to support the accession of Morocco to the Central American Integration System and defend its interests. El Salvador is aware of the importance of the Kingdom as a gateway to Africa, said, in this context, the Salvadoran Vice President, who is visiting Morocco, during which he will hold talks with many Moroccan officials.