Portugal Reiterates Support for Morocco’s Autonomy Initiative in Sahara

Portugal reiterated its support for the Moroccan autonomy initiative, presented in 2007, which it sees as a realistic, serious and credible proposal for a solution agreed within the framework of the United Nations, said the Joint Declaration that sanctioned the 14th Portugal-Morocco High-Level Meeting, held Friday in Lisbon, under the joint chairmanship of Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa and Morocco’s Head of Government Aziz Akhannouch.

The Portuguese government reiterated its country’s support for the process led by the United Nations for a political solution, fair, sustainable and mutually acceptable to the parties.

Both parties agreed on the exclusivity of the UN in the political process and reaffirmed their support for UN Security Council Resolution 2654, which noted the role and responsibility of the parties in the search for a realistic, pragmatic, sustainable and compromise-based political solution.

In this way, Portugal joins other European countries that consider the Moroccan autonomy initiative as a serious and credible basis for the final settlement of the Sahara issue.