US recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over the Sahara marked a turning point that strengthened the strategic partnership between Rabat and Washington and opened new avenues for cooperation, Laayoune-Sakia El Hamra Governor Abdeslam Bekrate said on Tuesday.
Bekrate made the remarks during the signing in Laayoune of a US Trade and Development Agency grant for a private investment project, presenting the agreement as evidence that Washington’s political position was beginning to translate into economic engagement in Morocco’s southern provinces.
He said the visit by US Ambassador Duke Buchan III carried particular political and diplomatic significance and reflected the depth of relations between the two countries, which date back more than 250 years.
Morocco was the first country to recognise the independence of the United States in 1777, Bekrate said, describing the relationship as one of the world’s oldest continuous diplomatic partnerships.
He added that the US decision on December 10, 2020, to recognise Moroccan sovereignty over the Sahara had raised bilateral ties to a new level and expanded cooperation in political, economic, security and development fields.
Buchan’s visit was the first by a US ambassador to Laayoune since former Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs David Schenker travelled to the city in 2021, according to Bekrate.
He said the visit showed continued US interest in the southern provinces and a shared intention to turn diplomatic cooperation into projects on the ground.
The USTDA grant will finance preliminary engineering studies for the first phase of an ORNX green ammonia project planned in Laayoune.
Bekrate said the agreement reflected growing international confidence in the region’s infrastructure, political stability and potential in renewable energy, industry and the green economy.
During a separate meeting with Laayoune Mayor Moulay Hamdi Ould Errachid, Buchan discussed local development and opportunities for cooperation in education and training.
Ould Errachid presented infrastructure and public-service projects carried out in the city and described Laayoune as an emerging economic and investment centre linking Morocco with the rest of Africa.
The municipality also proposed providing premises for a large American school and an English-language centre aimed at improving young people’s employment prospects and access to international opportunities.
The ambassador welcomed the proposal and said the US Embassy was prepared to support and accompany the initiative, according to local officials.
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