Jordan to inaugurate its embassy in Western Sahara
Jordan will today inaugurate its Consulate General in Laayoune, Western Sahara.
In November last year, Jordanian King Abdullah II announced his decision to open a consulate in the region’s capital in the hopes of accelerating the conflict’s resolution. The decision tips the scales in the territorial dispute between Rabat and the Polisario independence front, which claims to represent the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR).
The Jordanian monarch welcomed the inauguration to promote the safe movement of people and goods between Morocco and sub-Saharan Africa. Historically, both countries have tried to strengthen economic cooperation. Last year, an economic forum in Amman culminated in new agreements and recommendations to boost economic partnerships between Jordanian and Moroccan businesses.
Today’s inauguration affirms Jordan’s support for Morocco’s territorial claims to Western Sahara, reflecting the good diplomatic relations between them. On the economic front, expect an improvement of bilateral cooperation and investment opportunities in several sectors, including maximising agricultural trade volume and exchanging views on energy security. At the political level, despite the Jordanian monarch’s reaffirmation of his country’s support for Morocco’s territorial claims, a tangible change over the long-standing dispute in Western Sahara is unlikely since Jordan has no real political weight and the complicated dynamics of the conflict have undermined the fragile peace on the ground.
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