Gulf Nations Poised to Open Consulates in Laâyoune, Following UAE’s Lead

The first country that could very soon follow in the footsteps of Abu Dhabi is Bahrain. According to Al Ayyam, the discussions are still ongoing and the announcement could be made in the coming days. Two other countries, namely Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, could follow, even if for now they have not yet spoken out on the issue. According to the same newspaper, these two countries have always preferred to adopt principled positions on the conflict in the Moroccan Sahara.

As for Qatar, it is not ready to join the dance, due to the good economic relations it still maintains with Algeria, the main ally of the Polisario. As for the other countries, they fear a breakdown of their relationship with the military regime.

Even if for the moment Algeria cannot recall its ambassador from Abu Dhabi, the Algerian neighbor had recalled its Ivorian diplomat when Côte d’Ivoire had opened a consulate in Laâyoune. At the time, Algeria had accused the Ivorians of having flagrantly violated international law.