British MP Daniel Kawczynski has accused British Ambassador to Morocco Simon Martin of impeding the United Kingdom’s recognition of Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara.
Reporting on a recent visit to Morocco in the House of Commons on May 8, Kawczynski disclosed that Martin had voiced reservations to him about the UK recognizing Moroccan sovereignty over the region, citing concerns about potential implications for the UK’s relations with its own overseas territories, particularly the Falkland Islands. Kawczynski asserted that the Ambassador had made such remarks multiple times.
“During our visit to Morocco, we had a very unsatisfactory discussion with the British ambassador on the telephone,” he said. “As on many other occasions, the British ambassador tried to indicate that we cannot recognize Sahara because somehow it will impinge on or affect our relationship with our overseas territories.”
Kawczynski further stated that, upon inquiring further into the Ambassador’s change of position, he did not receive a “satisfactory response.”
There is no “legal, constitutional, or technical difficulty” with the UK’s overseas territories regarding the recognition of Morocco’s southern provinces, the MP told the House.
Given Morocco’s status as a key ally and strategic partner, he suggested that a failure to recognize Morocco’s sovereignty over the region jeopardizes the UK’s relationship with Morocco such that the UK risks “falling behind its main competitors, including Spain, France, Germany, and the United States.”
On his visit to the region, Kawczynski had met with a number of Moroccan officials including Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita and observed socio-economic developments in Laayoune and Dakhla.