Benin reiterates its support for Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara

Benin on Tuesday reiterated its firm and consistent support for Morocco's territorial integrity and sovereignty over all its territory, including the Sahara region. Cotonou also reaffirmed its backing for the autonomy plan proposed by Rabat as the only credible and realistic solution to resolving this dispute.

The position was set out in the joint communiqué issued at the close of the seventh session of the Morocco-Benin Joint Cooperation Commission, held in Cotonou and co-chaired by Morocco's Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans Abroad, Nasser Bourita, and Benin's Minister of Foreign Affairs in charge of the Integration of Afro-descendants, Corinne Amori Brunet.

On this occasion, the Beninese minister welcomed the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 2797, which establishes the autonomy plan under Moroccan sovereignty as the basis for a just, lasting, and mutually acceptable settlement of the dispute.

Amori Brunet said that, as part of the review of Benin's diplomatic and consular network, she would advocate for the establishment of a Beninese consular presence in the city of Laâyoune, in the Sahara.

Finally, she expressed her intention to travel very soon to the city of Dakhla, in particular to observe the economic and social momentum underway in the region and to explore opportunities for building partnerships on the ground.