The announcement by the President of the Dominican Republic, recognizing Morocco's sovereignty over the Sahara and the decision to open a consulate in the city of Dakhla marks a new diplomatic success for Morocco in a region (The Caribbean and Latin America) that has traditionally supported the separatist Polisario Front.
The Dominican Republic is the third country in the Caribbean and Latin America to fully support Morocco's sovereignty over the Sahara, following its neighbor Haiti, which opened a consulate in Moroccan Sahara, and the Latin American country of Suriname, which also previously recognized Morocco's sovereignty and established a diplomatic presence in Dakhla.
In this context, political expert on the Moroccan Sahara issue, Mohamed Salem Abdel Fattah, told Assahifa that "the position of the Dominican Republic signifies a diplomatic breakthrough for the Kingdom of Morocco in a region that was once a stronghold of separatist propaganda, namely the Caribbean and Latin America."
According to Mohamed Salem, this success is attributed to Morocco's "diplomatic approach based on finding common interests and prioritizing the Sahara issue within the Kingdom's diplomatic doctrine. This approach has enabled Morocco to shift the positions of some countries that previously supported separatism based on outdated ideological grounds dating back to the Cold War era."
The expert also noted that "this stance aligns with the diplomatic momentum achieved by Morocco on the Sahara issue, which is reflected in the recognition of Morocco's sovereignty over the Sahara by the United States, a country close to the Caribbean, and the position of Spain, the former colonial power in the Sahara region, whose influence extends to Spanish-speaking countries in the Caribbean and Latin America."
According to Mohamed Salem, the Dominican Republic's move could contribute to containing "the remaining remnants of separatist propaganda in the Caribbean and Latin America," especially as some regimes that continue to support separatism, such as Venezuela, are experiencing a state of decline and disintegration, according to the same expert.
The impact of the Dominican Republic's position supporting Morocco's sovereignty over the Sahara does not stop at countering separatist propaganda. According to Mohamed Salem, it could also encourage other countries in the Caribbean and Latin America to adopt similar positions, thereby further isolating the so-called separatist entity.
