The number of consulates set up in the Moroccan Sahara has increased this Thursday to 28 by the inauguration of a consulate general of Guatemala in Dakhla.
Guatemala has thus reaffirmed its firm support to Morocco’s sovereignty over its Sahara and its territorial integrity.
The inauguration ceremony was presided over by the Guatemalan Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mario Adolfo Búcaro, and the Wali of the Dakhla-Oued Eddahab region, Lamine Benomar, in the presence of many elected officials and consuls accredited to Dakhla.
The opening of this new foreign diplomatic representation brings to 28 the number of consulates opened in the southern provinces, where Dakhla is hosting 16 and Laayoune 12 consular representations.
Guatemala had announced its decision to open a consulate in the city of Dakhla last September on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly and renewed support to the autonomy plan offered by the Kingdom for a lasting resolution of the Sahara regional conflict.
“Guatemala deems the autonomy plan under Moroccan sovereignty as the solution to the Sahara issue and decides to open a consulate in the city of Dakhla to take advantage of its economic potential and openness onto the African continent”, had said the Guatemalan Foreign Minister following a meeting with his Moroccan peer Nasser Bourita.
“We support Morocco on the Sahara issue and we will continue to support it forever”, he had said, hailing the reforms made in Morocco under the leadership of King Mohammed VI and the role of the Sovereign and his contribution to conflicts’ resolution in Africa and the Arab world by peaceful means.