Syria recognises Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara

Syria has formally recognised Morocco's full sovereignty over the Western Sahara, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani announced Thursday during his first official visit to Rabat since the formation of President Ahmad al-Sharaa's transitional government.

Al-Shaibani stated that Syria "fully respects the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Morocco and its sovereignty over its entire territory, including Western Sahara », a declaration that carries significant diplomatic weight coming from a country that, under the Assad regime, had historically aligned itself with Algeria and the Polisario Front on the Sahara question.

The visit marks the opening of a new chapter in Syrian-Moroccan relations. Morocco was among the countries that maintained relatively open channels with various Syrian opposition factions during the civil war, and Rabat has moved swiftly to engage with the new Damascus government since Assad's fall in late 2024.

For Morocco, the Syrian recognition adds to a growing list of countries, including the United States, France and several Gulf states, that have endorsed its autonomy plan for the Western Sahara, further isolating Algeria and the Polisario Front on the international stage.

For Syria's new government, the gesture signals a deliberate realignment away from the Iran-Algeria axis that defined Assad-era foreign policy, and toward the Arab mainstream, of which Morocco is an increasingly influential member.