The inauguration ceremony was chaired by Cabo Verde's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation and Regional Integration, Mr. Rui Alberto De Figueiredo Soares, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates, Mr. Nasser Bourita, in the presence of elected officials and consuls accredited to Dakhla.

Mr. Nasser Bourita, announced Wednesday in Dakhla, the imminent holding of a ministerial meeting of countries that have opened consulates in the southern provinces of the Kingdom. As clarified at a joint press briefing by Mr. Bourita and his Cabo Verdean counterpart, work will be done, in the coming months, to hold a meeting, whether in Laayoune or Dakhla, in the presence of all countries that have opened consulates in the southern provinces, to confirm this momentum and create greater coordination between these states.

This initiative, as stressed by Mr. Bourita, seeks to strengthen the dynamic of opening consulates, which His Majesty King Mohammed VI had stressed in his speech to the Nation on the occasion of the 69th anniversary of the Revolution of the King and the People, following the positive developments concerning the issue of the territorial integrity of the Kingdom.

The fact that "about 40% of African states have opened consulates in Laayoune and Dakhla," as stated by HM the King, reflects the general orientation, within the African continent, to support the territorial integrity of Morocco and its legitimate rights over this part of its territory. Mr. Bourita, thus, stressed the fact that the Republic of Cabo Verde expresses its firm support for the sovereignty of Morocco over its Sahara and the territorial integrity of the Kingdom.

During the joint press briefing, Mr. Bourita said : ‘’bilateral relations began since the Republic of Cabo Verde withdrew its recognition of "the puppet entity’’ in 2007 and have ever since developed further in the framework of a fruitful cooperation".

Mr. Bourita further explained that relations between Rabat and Praia have developed strongly in recent years, citing in this regard the last visit to Rabat of Mr. Soares last June, where the two countries agreed to establish strong relations of friendship and cooperation and to raise them to a fruitful partnership in various areas.

Moreover, Mr. Bourita noted that this visit is an opportunity to thank the Republic of Cabo Verde for its firm positions on the territorial integrity of the Kingdom and its constant support for the Moroccanness of the Sahara, noting that the opening of a Consulate General of Cabo Verde in Dakhla is another sign of support for the sovereignty of Morocco over its territory.

The Republic of Cabo Verde is also a key partner for Morocco within the African Union, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Community of Portuguese-speaking Countries (CPLP), he continued, highlighting the coordination and convergence of views between the two countries that share the same vision of peace, security and development in Africa.

Similarly, he said that the Republic of Cabo Verde has played an important role in the economic coordination of the Atlantic African States initiative that was launched in Rabat, noting that the second ministerial coordination meeting in New York will establish an action plan for this initiative for the coming years.

Furthermore, Mr. Bourita noted that the two sides have also agreed to conduct visits at the highest level between the leaders of the two countries, in addition to the visit of the Prime Minister of Cabo Verde to Morocco and the preparation of the 2nd session of the Joint Commission, scheduled next year in Praia, which is an opportunity to strengthen cooperation in various areas.

Referring to the roadmap of cooperation and the agreements signed between the two parties, Mr. Bourita said that the number of scholarships granted by the Moroccan Agency for International Cooperation (AMCI) will be increased to 80, in order to strengthen cooperation between the two countries. He added that the Republic of Cabo Verde can rely on Morocco, on the High instructions of His Majesty the King, to support its economic interests in regional organizations.

Mr. Soares stressed that the opening of the Consulate General of the Republic of Cabo Verde in Dakhla also expresses support for the autonomy plan presented by Morocco and the efforts of the United Nations to find a realistic and credible solution to the conflict over the Sahara.

The Cabo Verdean Foreign Minister also noted that the opening of the Consulate General of his country in the Moroccan Sahara expresses the desire to consolidate bilateral relations between the two countries, recalling, in this regard, the joint communiqué signed in Rabat, on June 8, on the sidelines of the 1st Ministerial Conference of Atlantic African States.

Mr. Soares also emphasized the positive results of bilateral cooperation and the ways to deepen investment opportunities between the two countries, including tourism, air and maritime transport, agriculture and fisheries, as well as higher education, training, and twinning between cities.

He has, in this sense, called to further consolidate this cooperation, stressing the need to involve public and private institutions and civil society actors in the realization of these opportunities. In this line, he said that the agreements signed this Wednesday with the Kingdom of Morocco are likely to give new impetus to the multidimensional bilateral partnership, citing in this regard the agreement on air services and that on the abolition of visa for holders of diplomatic  and service passports.

Similarly, he said that the two countries have "historic relations of friendship and brotherhood" welcoming the new momentum and the intensification of bilateral political and diplomatic dialogue. The two parties have reached an important and strategic consensus, with the aim of raising bilateral relations to the highest level. He added that this visit marks an important and strategic step in relations between the two countries, including the inauguration of the Embassy of Cabo Verde in Rabat and its Consulate General in Dakhla.

In addition, he recalled having held talks with the Minister of Transport and Logistics, focusing on ways to strengthen the partnership in the field of air transport and to encourage the Cabo Verdean private sector to explore the opportunity of a maritime link between the two countries. "I also visited the Tangier Med port, a strategic project to serve Morocco, Africa and the world," he continued, expressing the desire to explore cooperation in this area.

On Tuesday 30th, August 2022, the Republic of Cabo Verde inaugurated its embassy in Rabat, during a ceremony presided over by Mr. Bourita and His Cabo Verdean counterpart.

With this inauguration of the Cabo Verdean Consulate General in Dakhla, the total number of Consulates General opened in the southern provinces of the Kingdom of Morocco has reached 27: 15 in Dakhla and 12 in Laayoune.