On the sidelines of the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Morocco's Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita met yesterday with his Paraguayan counterpart, Rubén Darío Ramírez. Following the meeting, Morocco's diplomacy announced that «Paraguay recognizes Morocco's sovereignty over its Sahara and is considering the opening of a consulate in the southern provinces of the Kingdom». According to the same source, the Paraguayan foreign minister also stated that «the President of Paraguay, Mr. Santiago Peña Palacios, will soon visit Morocco, and that he himself will travel to the Kingdom before the end of the year». Furthermore, Asunción «reaffirmed its recognition of Morocco's sovereignty over Western Sahara and its support for the 2007 Moroccan initiative to negotiate an autonomy status for the region». «This decision is in line with the principles of international law and the provisions of the United Nations Charter, while supporting the efforts of the United Nations Secretary-General to resolve this long-standing dispute», the Paraguayan Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
