 The opening, last October, by the United Arab Emirates of a consulate general in the Moroccan Sahara "should be followed" by other Gulf States, says Gérard Vespierre, director of research at the Studies Fondation for Middle East and president of Strategic Advise in an analysis published Tuesday in French daily "La Tribune".
In this analysis, the researcher and lecturer in geopolitics reviews the development of Moroccan-Emirati relations in the various fields since the 1970s.
The Emirati decision to open a consulate in Laayoune, which took place a few weeks before the United States recognized Morocco's sovereignty over its Sahara, constitutes a "strong diplomatic act", notes the researcher and lecturer in geopolitics, adding that through this opening, the United Arab Emirates "thereby recognize Moroccan sovereignty over the Sahara".
In addition to this “leadership”, this act “certainly” was for the Crown Prince Mohamed ben Zayed a “very special event”, notes Mr. Vespierre, recalling the participation of the latter, in his youth, in the green March whose objective was "diplomatic and symbolic to signify the desire for Moroccan sovereignty over the Sahara".
"His presence, as a young adolescent, during this march in 1975, fully reflects the sustainability of both relations and Emirati commitment to the Moroccan Kingdom", said the researcher.
Mr. Vespierre also discusses the economic relations between the two countries which have "regularly developed" in parallel with political relations, notably with a joint UAE-Moroccan committee set up in 1985.
But economic cooperation has other aspects in the industrial and financial fields, he observes, noting the existence of a "significant" flow of Emirati investments towards the Kingdom, as well as of direct industrial operations and investments in health infrastructure.
Other subjects, such as security issues are, for the two countries "of great importance", underlines the author of the analysis, noting that the fight against terrorism and the Islamic State constitute "necessities of exchange. and collaboration ".
-News on Western Sahara / Corcas-
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