Saudi Arabia Reaffirms Support for Morocco’s Autonomy Plan

Rabat – Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud has renewed openly his country’s support for Morocco’s territorial sovereignty over Western Sahara during a joint press conference with Morocco’s Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita today in Marrakech.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia continues to feature on a list of countries that has expressed support for Morocco’s autonomy plan during the International Coalition Ministerial meeting. These countries include the Netherlands, Romania, Spain, Cyprus, and Serbia.

Saudi Arabia’s FM also highlighted the good relations between the two kingdoms, as 2022 marks the 65th anniversary of the beginning of the Moroccan-Saudi diplomatic relations.

Both Morocco and Saudi Arabia share a long and strong history of commercial and political relations.

According to Trading Economics Database, Moroccan imports from Saudi Arabia reached up to MAD 9.07 billion ($899.64 million) in 2020, with mineral fuels and plastics making up 75% of the total value of imports.

On the other hand, Morocco exported MAD 2.04 billion ($203 million) to Saudi Arabia in 2020, with cars constituting 44% of the total value of exports.

The two kingdoms have cooperated on issues regarding international security. The latest collaboration between the two countries was yesterday, when Morocco hosted the International Coalition Against ISIS Ministerial meeting in Marrakech.

The two countries joined the US-led international coalition to defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in 2014.

Morocco was also a member of the Saudi-led Islamic Military Coalition, a 34-country coalition formed to combat terrorism. Since March 2015, Morocco has participated in the conflict led by Saudi Arabia against Houthi rebels in Yemen. Morocco left the alliance in February 2019.

In 2021, during the 4th Commission of the UN General Assembly, Saudi Arabia renewed its rejection to “any attack against the supreme interests or on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the brotherly Kingdom of Morocco.”