Morocco says it has Dominican Republic support over Western Sahara

Moroccans celebrate in front of the parliament building in Rabat on December 13, 2020, after the US adopted a new official map of Morocco that includes the disputed territory of Western Sahara. (AFP)

• The Dominican Republic’s stance aligns it with the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States, which opened a consulate in Western Sahara last year

RABAT: The Dominican Republic has recognized Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara, Rabat’s foreign ministry said on Saturday, as a slowly growing number of nations back the North African nation’s claim.
Morocco considers Western Sahara its own territory, but the Algerian-backed Polisario Front wants to establish an independent state there. The dispute has soured Morocco’s relations with some of its neighbors, most of all Algeria.
The Dominican Republic’s position was expressed in a letter by its foreign minister Roberto Álvarez, Morocco’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
The Dominican Republic’s stance aligns it with the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States, which opened a consulate in Western Sahara last year.
Winning support for its rule over Western Sahara has been the ultimate goal of Moroccan diplomacy.
Some 28 other states, mostly Arab and African, have opened consulates in the territory as tangible proof of their support for Rabat.
Earlier this month Morocco won Israel’s recognition of its sovereignty claim over the territory, following a similar move by the United States in 2020. Algeria has strongly criticized Israel’s move.