Spain rejects request made by Colombia to let Polisario attend Ibero-American summit

The proposal to grant the separatist Polisario front observer status at the Ibero-American summit, made by Colombian President Gustavo Petro, provoked intense debate among the attendees, who demanded that the plan be rejected and put on hold.

In a speech given in front of the Spanish king and Pedro Sanchez, the head of his government, Petro, the president of Colombia recommended including the separatist front as an observer at the Ibero-American summits.

The Spanish newspaper “The Independent” quoted the Colombian president’s speech at the 28th Ibero-American Summit, which said that “African countries that speak Spanish, Portuguese, and Arabic, including one that is still under oppression have been granted observer status in the summit will allow the integration of these countries into this kind of high-level meeting.”

In response, Jose Manuel Albarez, Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union, and Spanish Cooperation, emphasized that in order to be granted observer status at the Ibero-American Summit, a state must first be recognized.

When questioned about the Colombian president’s plan, Albarez responded in a statement to the press that “there is a whole channel for the different countries recognized in this way to become part of the observers.”

Without providing any additional information, the Spanish minister of Foreign Affairs continued by stating that the president of Columbia “has every right to make statements that he deems appropriate for his orientations.”

The Spanish government official’s comments were addressed by the president of Colombia, who clarified that what he said wasn’t a direct message to Spain but rather to the conference as a whole.

Due to Morocco’s desire to reestablish its political ties with numerous nations in recent years, the Polisario Front no longer benefits from the diplomatic backing from Latin America that it did during the Cold War.

Ibrahim Ghali is attempting to rekindle his political ties with the leftist leaders in Latin America as the Polisario works to reestablish its worldwide influence in the historical leftist territories following the collapse of its presence throughout the world.