Rabat – Morocco’s Autonomy Plan for Western Sahara is a base for a “serious and credible” solution to the dispute, according to a joint declaration from Austria and Morocco.
Following a meeting on Tuesday in Rabat, Morocco’s Head of Government, Aziz Akhannouch, and Austrian Federal Chancellor, Karl Nehammer, issued a joint statement highlighting the efforts of the Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Staffan de Mistura, and his continued work to reach a “just and lasting solution” for the Western Sahara dispute.
In the declaration, Morocco commended Austria’s willingness to continue its support of the UN mission in the Western Sahara, MINURSO.
During the meeting with Akhannouch, Chancellor Nehammer stated that “Austria commends the broad reforms launched by Morocco, under the leadership of King Mohammed VI, aimed at making the Moroccan society and the economy more open.”
He further lauded the “new development paradigm and advanced regionalization, as well as the empowerment of women and sustainable development.”
The meeting between the two officials is part of a visit from an Austrian delegation led by Chancellor Nehammer. The delegation is on a state visit to celebrate the anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Morocco and Austria that were first established on February 28, 1783.
On the celebratory occasion, the two countries expressed their willingness to “establish a strategic dialogue” between ministers of foreign affairs to deepen existing areas of cooperation and explore new venues for cooperation.
The two countries further stressed the importance of boosting parliamentary dialogue to consolidate bilateral relations. In this regard, the statement recalled the official visit made by the Speaker of the Moroccan Parliament to Austria in December 2022, and the official visit that is scheduled to take place, as the President of the Austrian National Council will visit Morocco next March.
The list of planned state visits also includes those of the heads of the two parliamentary friendship groups created by the two institutions.
Morocco-Austria Economic cooperation
On the economic front, the two heads of government expressed their satisfaction with the growth in the trade volume between the two countries and the investments made by Austrian companies in Morocco in recent years.
Recognizing the significant potential of joint cooperation, the two parties signed a cooperation agreement protocol on Monday between the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber and the General Confederation of Moroccan Enterprises.
The two parties also expressed interest in exchanging best practices and developing joint projects in the field of energy efficiency and renewable energies.
Source: Morocco World News
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