The United Kingdom should offer its full support to Morocco and recognize its sovereignty over the Sahara, British MP Liam Fox said on Sunday. «Prior to my visit to Morocco, I sent a written letter to the British Foreign Secretary, David Cameron, to draw his attention to the fact that the UK has fallen behind the US on this issue», said Fox in an interview with Medi1TV. «We should offer our full support to Morocco and recognize its sovereignty over the Sahara», he noted, stressing that beyond the economic opportunities this offers, «it is an important element for the stability and security of the region". British recognition of Morocco's sovereignty over the Sahara is also important in the fight against irregular migration, he underlined, explaining that such recognition «would therefore be part of a win-win partnership». «Through my letter, I wanted to draw Mr. Cameron's attention to this issue as soon as he took office, as well as to the importance of this question for our bilateral relations», noted Fox. «I reminded Mr. Cameron, who is a friend and whose government I was a member of when he was Prime Minister, of Morocco's importance on the multilateral stage, both politically and economically», he added. «An increasing number of British MPs are convinced by Morocco's approach to resolving this dispute. They are even somewhat frustrated by London's lack of progress on the issue», said Fox. According to him, it is the realism of the Moroccan approach that is enabling progress to be made on this issue. Fox also noted that relations between Morocco and the United Kingdom are constantly evolving, stressing that Morocco is increasingly attractive to foreign direct investment (FDI) thanks in particular to «its geostrategic importance, as several countries see it as a gateway to Africa». He added that the UK's exit from the EU is seen as an opportunity for London to develop trade relations with our partners and «Morocco is a priority country for the UK in economic, commercial and foreign policy terms». Morocco stands out as an international crossroads and gateway to Africa, especially as it has excellent bilateral relations with many countries on the continent, added the Conservative MP.
