Zambia Reiterates ‘Unwavering Support’ for Kingdom’s Territorial Integrity, Moroccan Autonomy Initiative as ‘Only Credible and Realistic Solution’ to Sahara Issue

The Republic of Zambia on Tuesday reiterated its “unwavering support” for the Kingdom’s territorial integrity and for the Moroccan autonomy initiative as the “only credible and realistic solution” for resolving the artificial dispute over the Sahara. In a joint statement issued following talks between Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates, Nasser Bourita, and Zambia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Stanley Kasongo Kakubo, Zambia reiterated its “unwavering support for the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Morocco”. Kakubo also “reaffirmed Zambia’s support for the Moroccan autonomy initiative presented by the Kingdom of Morocco in 2007, which is the only credible and realistic solution for resolving this artificial dispute”, according to the joint statement. Zambia also “welcomed the efforts of the United Nations as the exclusive framework for achieving a realistic, practical and lasting solution to the dispute over the Moroccan Sahara”, added the same source. The two ministers also praised the “positive evolution” of ties between the two brotherly countries in recent years, as demonstrated by the opening of the Zambian embassy in Rabat and its consulate general in Laayoune in October 2020.