Rabat — A cross-party Italian parliamentary delegation recently visited the Moroccan city of Laayoune, conducting field visits and participating in official meetings to evaluate the region’s development progress.
During their stay, the delegation met with the president of the Laayoune Municipal Council and the president of the Regional Council.
The discussions centered on ways to strengthen cooperation between Morocco and Italy across various sectors. The delegation also visited the city of Boujdour.
Ettore Rosato, coordinator of the Italian parliamentary group, expressed full support for Morocco’s autonomy plan to resolve the dispute over Western Sahara.
He noted that the region displays strong development momentum, driven by significant investments across multiple sectors.
The Italian delegation explored opportunities to boost economic cooperation between the two countries, particularly in industry, tourism, logistics, renewable energy, healthcare, and services.
Both sides stressed the importance of organizing sector-specific meetings between professionals from both nations to enhance trade and investment opportunities.
Growing international interest in Morocco’s Western Sahara
The visit reflects growing international engagement with Morocco’s southern provinces and displays Italy’s interest in deepening economic and political relations with the North African country.
Morocco has invested billions in developing its southern provinces, building ports, renewable energy facilities, and transportation infrastructure.
International investment in the southern provinces keeps growing, creating economic facts on the ground that reinforce the country’s sovereignty.
French business leaders visited Dakhla city earlier this month to explore cooperation opportunities, further endorsing the country’s position on Morocco’s Western Sahara.
The North African country has secured significant international backing for its position on Western Sahara in recent years.
In December 2020, the US recognized Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara — a decision that fundamentally altered the international consensus on the dispute.
France followed suit in July 2024, with President Emmanuel Macron declaring that Morocco’s autonomy plan for Western Sahara represents “the only basis” for resolving the decades-old dispute.