On the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, senior U.S. officials announced a new step marking the post-recognition phase of the United States’ acknowledgment of Morocco’s sovereignty over its Sahara.
U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau announced that, following Washington’s recognition of Morocco’s sovereignty over its Sahara, the U.S. government has decided to encourage American investments in the Southern Provinces of the Kingdom.
“The United States has recognized Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara, and within the framework of the Trump administration’s global initiatives to promote economic and trade diplomacy, we are pleased to announce that we will encourage American companies wishing to invest in this region of Morocco,” Landau emphasized in a press statement following a meeting on Wednesday in New York with Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates, Nasser Bourita.
The U.S. official also indicated that he had discussed with Nasser Bourita the excellent and longstanding relations between the Kingdom of Morocco and the United States of America, stressing the U.S. administration’s readiness to work closely with Morocco to “promote prosperity, peace and stability in the region.”
Meanwhile, Donald Trump’s Special Adviser for Africa and the Middle East, Massad Boulos, met with Staffan de Mistura twice in the span of about twenty days. During their meeting on Thursday, September 25 in New York, Boulos reminded the UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy for the Sahara that “a genuine autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty is the only basis for a just, lasting, and mutually acceptable solution for Western Sahara that will bring prosperity, peace, and stability to the region..”
Trump’s Special Adviser for Africa and the Middle East had already met with De Mistura on September 5, when he also reiterated the United States’ consistent position on the Moroccan Sahara issue.
