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Egypt denies plans to join states opening Western Sahara consulates

Cairo has denied Moroccan reports that Egypt plans to inaugurate a consulate in Western Sahara, which has been disputed for decades between Morocco and the Polisario Front backed by Algeria.
Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita (L) and his Bahraini counterpart Abdellatif al-Zayani (R), inaugurate Bahrain's consulate in Laayoun, the main city in Morocco's disputed region of Western Sahara, on december 14, 2020. - Bahrain opened the consulate in Western Sahara, as Morocco steps up a diplomatic push to strengthen its position in the disputed territory. Bahrain's King Hamad told Moroccan King Mohamed VI of the decision to open a mission in the coastal city of Laayoune during a phone call, the M

Reports have circulated in the Moroccan media that Egypt will soon inaugurate a consulate in Laayoune, one of the largest cities in the disputed Western Sahara, the scene of decades of conflict between Morocco and the Algeria-backed Polisario Front.

Morocco’s Le360 news site reported Dec. 21 that Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi announced plans to dispatch Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry to Rabat, where he will coordinate the opening of an Egyptian consulate in Western Sahara with his Moroccan counterpart Nasser Bourita.

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