The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi meeting the King Mohammed VI of Morocco, on the sidelines of the 3rd India Africa Forum Summit 2015, in New Delhi on October 29, 2015. Photography courtesy of Prime Minister’s Office, Government of India.
Thursday, 10 December 2020, Kingdom of Morocco: The White House and the US State Department have announced the recognition of the United States of Moroccan sovereignty over the Western Sahara. The latter decision is bound to an agreement whereby the Sharifian kingdom re-establishes diplomatic ties with the State of Israel. Morocco thus joins the UAE, Bahrain and Sudan in forging amiable ties with Israel.
Morocco under the leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, Prince of the Faithful, aims at re-opening economic liaison offices shut down in 2002, and to begin air traffic between the two countries.
“Morocco recognized the United States in 1777. It is thus fitting we recognize their sovereignty over the Western Sahara,” US President Donald Trump said per statement. No other UN member states recognize Western Sahara as part of Morocco, however, the agreement may change the situation as Arab nations are opening consulates in Western Sahara, thereby boosting Moroccan legitimacy over the region.
Morocco established ties with the young republic of the United States already in 1777 under the reign of Sultan Mohammed III bin Abdallah. Formal U.S. diplomatic relations with Morocco began in 1787 when the Confederation Congress ratified a Treaty of Peace and Friendship, which is still valid today in another renegotiated version. The latter is the longest standing treaty with any state worldwide from the side of the USA.
By itself Morocco is home to a sizeable population of Jewish extraction.
For further information
White House announcement: https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/proclamation-recognizing-sovereignty-kingdom-morocco-western-sahara/
US Embassy in Morocco: https://ma.usembassy.gov/ambassador-david-fischer-spoke-to-reporters-about-the-historic-white-house-announcement/
