Morocco and Cuba made Friday in New York a giant step towards fruitful cooperation after both countries’ UN permanent envoys to the UN signed an agreement to thaw ties and re-establish diplomatic relations, just a couple of weeks after King Mohammed VI paid a private visit to the Caribbean Island.
The agreement, initialed by Omar Hilale and Anayansi Rodriguez Camejo, puts an end to 37 long years of diplomatic ties cut over the Western Sahara, as Havana was backing Morocco’s opponent in the dispute, the Algeria-backed Polisario separatist front.
The agreement will promote ties and cooperation between the two countries at the political, economic, and cultural levels and in many other areas, as well.
The agreement was signed in the aftermath of King Mohammed VI’s private visit to the Island earlier this month.
During the visit, the first ever by a Moroccan monarch, King Mohammed VI reportedly discussed with leaders of the communist regime of Raul Castro the normalization of ties.
This decision is part of the implementation of royal instructions for a proactive diplomacy, open on new partnerships and new geographic spaces, the Moroccan foreign ministry said in a statement.
A Moroccan embassy will open in the Cuban capital shortly, reports say.
Cuba has long been a stronghold of the Polisario in Latin America. The Caribbean country has offered training to the separatist front’s executives, diplomats and military.
The Friday agreement deals a new blow to the Separatist entity, which is losing its staunch supporters around the world.