Portugal denies the opening of a consulate in the Sahara

«Reports on opening a Portuguese consulate in Western Sahara are false», read a statement released by the Portuguese Foreign Affairs Ministry on Wednesday.

The country announced that, on the other hand, it «supports the efforts of the United Nations  Secretary-General to relaunch negotiations with the aim of reaching a lasting and a mutually acceptable political solution, in accordance with the United Nations Security Council resolutions».

Portuguese diplomacy underlines, moreover, that its position on the Sahara territorial dispute «remains unchanged».

On Tuesday, Spanish newspaper El Espanol announced that Portugal and Italy would be the first countries in the European Union to open diplomatic missions in Dakhla or Laayoune.

The newspaper thus pointed out that the Moroccan foreign ministry, Nasser Bourita, had a long telephone conversation with his Portuguese counterpart, Augusto Santos Silva. An exchange held the same day as the announcement of the Trump administration's decision recognizing Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara.