The Beninese Minister of Foreign Affairs, Olushegun Adjadi Bakari, reiterated the Republic of Benin’s backing for the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Morocco–and pushed for the establishment of a Beninese Consulate in Laayoune City–reportedly during a telephone conversation with his Moroccan counterpart Nasser Bourita on Tuesday.
The Beninese Minister reaffirmed his country’s support for the Autonomy Initiative presented by Morocco in 2007 as the only credible and realistic solution to resolving the regional dispute over the Sahara.
The two officials decided to conduct the seventh Moroccan-Beninese Joint Cooperation Commission in early 2024, to be held in Cotonou, Benin.
In addition, the pair praised the effective preparation of this Joint Commission, which was highlighted by the successful finalization of agreements and memorandums in several areas of cooperation, demonstrating both nations’ readiness to revitalize the outstanding bilateral foundations already in existence.
Bourita emphasized the importance of the human factor and informed his Beninese counterpart of the plan to enhance the opportunities for training scholarships for Beninese officials in Morocco.
He also informed Bakari that, in order to facilitate free movement of individuals between the two countries, Morocco will provide visa exemptions to Beninese nationals with standard passports.
Beninese citizens will benefit from the e-Visa service, which has been under development since the beginning of this year, aiming to facilitate entry for nationals of the Kingdom’s preferred-status countries.