Japan commended Morocco’s “serious and credible” efforts to advance the political process towards a settlement of the Moroccan Sahara issue.
This position was expressed by the Japanese Foreign Ministry in a press release issued following a meeting held on September 5 in Cairo, between the Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation, and Moroccan Expatriates, Nasser Bourita, and his Japanese counterpart, Hayashi Yoshimasa, on the sidelines of the work of the Council of the Arab League at the level of Foreign Ministers.
“In what concerns the Moroccan Sahara issue, Japanese Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa praised Morocco’s serious and credible efforts to advance the political process,” said the Japanese ministry.
Yoshimasa emphasized the importance of the Moroccan Autonomy Plan while expressing support for the mediation efforts deployed by the United Nations Secretary-General and his Special Envoy for the Sahara, Staffan de Mistura.
The Head of Japanese diplomacy also praised the excellent relations uniting Morocco and Japan, based on the solid ties of friendship between the Japanese Imperial Family and the Moroccan Royal Family, affirming Japan’s commitment to further strengthening these relations in several areas, notably business and investment.
For his part, Minister Bourita praised the age-old friendship linking the two countries, expressing Morocco’s willingness to strengthen cooperation with Japan in different fields, including the exchange of high-level visits, trade and investment, and political dialogue.
The Japanese ministry also stated that the two ministers discussed urgent regional and international issues, including the situation in North Korea and Ukraine, noting that the two parties affirmed their commitment to cooperating on several issues facing the international community.
