The Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies of the Republic of Paraguay, Raúl Luís Latorre, reaffirmed on Tuesday in Geneva his country’s “firm” and “constant” support for Morocco’s sovereignty over its Southern Provinces, praising the Moroccan Autonomy Initiative as a “just” and “credible” solution to the regional dispute over the Moroccan Sahara.
In a statement to the press following his meeting with the Speaker of Morocco’s House of Councillors, Mohamed Ould Errachid, on the sidelines of the 151st Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), the Paraguayan MP stressed that Paraguay considers the Sahara to be an integral part of Morocco, affirming that his country’s position on this issue is “clear and unequivocal.”
“We discussed the deep friendship that unites Paraguay and the Kingdom of Morocco, as well as our country’s firm stance in support of Morocco’s territorial integrity,” said Latorre, who was accompanied by a high-level parliamentary delegation during the meeting.
On this occasion, the Speaker of the Paraguayan Parliament presented Ould Errachid with a copy of the resolution unanimously adopted by the Paraguayan Chamber of Deputies, recognizing Morocco’s sovereignty over its Sahara and supporting the Moroccan Autonomy Initiative as the basis for resolving the dispute.
For his part, Ould Errachid commended Paraguay’s “clear, courageous, and consistent” position regarding the Moroccan Sahara, recalling the key milestones of this support, including the official withdrawal of recognition of the so-called “sadr” in January 2014, the strong endorsement of the Autonomy Initiative, and the recent announcement of the upcoming opening of a Paraguayan consulate in Morocco’s Southern Provinces.
Ould Errachid also highlighted the important role of the Paraguayan Parliament, which has adopted several resolutions in this regard, most recently in November 2024, emphasizing that the Moroccan Autonomy Initiative is serious, credible, and represents the only realistic solution to the artificial conflict over the Moroccan Sahara.
The meeting also resulted in an agreement to organize reciprocal parliamentary visits between the two legislative institutions to strengthen South-South cooperation, particularly within the framework of MERCOSUR (whose vice-president attended the talks) and the Morocco-Latin America Economic Forum.
The meeting was also attended by members of the Bureau of the House of Councillors: MiloudMasside (UMT), Mohammed Salem Benmassoud (UGTM), Mustapha Moucharik (RNI), and Abderrahman Oiffa (PAM), along with Secretary-General El Assad Zerouali, the Speaker’s Chief of Staff Mansour Lambarki, and the Director of External Relations and Communication Saad Ghazi.
Geneva – (MAP):
