US ambassador’s Laayoune visit deepens Morocco partnership

RABAT – The United States is expanding its economic engagement in Morocco’s southern provinces, signalling a shift from diplomatic recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara towards tangible investment cooperation as Washington deepens ties with Rabat.

US Ambassador Duke Buchan travelled to Laayoune on Tuesday, where he met regional and municipal officials, discussed investment opportunities with local authorities and participated in the signing of a grant from the US Trade and Development Agency, highlighting growing American commercial interest in the region.

The visit reflects the evolution of US policy since President Donald Trump’s administration recognised Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara in December 2020, a position that successive US administrations have since maintained while continuing to support UN-led efforts to reach a political settlement.

Moroccan officials said economic cooperation is increasingly becoming the practical expression of that political position.

Meeting Laayoune Communal Council President Moulay Hamdi Ould Errachid, Buchan reviewed projects that have transformed the city into one of Morocco’s fastest-growing regional centres, including investments in transport infrastructure, public services, urban development and industrial facilities.

The ambassador, who wore the traditional Sahrawi deraa during the visit, also discussed opportunities for greater cooperation between Moroccan and US companies in sectors including renewable energy, fisheries, logistics, tourism and industry.

According to the municipality, Buchan showed particular interest in measures designed to encourage foreign investment and strengthen commercial partnerships between businesses from both countries.

Local officials presented Laayoune as an increasingly important gateway linking Europe and West Africa, supported by modern infrastructure, expanding ports and Morocco’s wider strategy to develop its Atlantic façade.

Abdeslam Bekrate, governor of the Laayoune-Sakia El Hamra region, said the strategic partnership with the United States had entered a new phase in which political support was increasingly accompanied by investment and development initiatives.

He described the USTDA grant as another step towards attracting high-value projects while reinforcing international confidence in the southern provinces’ stability and investment climate.

The visit also carried diplomatic significance, coming as Morocco and the United States mark 250 years of bilateral relations that date back to Morocco’s recognition of US independence in 1777.

It is the first visit by a serving US ambassador to Laayoune since 2021 and follows renewed US statements reaffirming support for Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara.

Earlier this week, Buchan praised Morocco’s decision to name the Tiznit-Dakhla Expressway after President Donald Trump, calling King Mohammed VI “a true partner for peace” and reiterating Washington’s support for “a Moroccan Sahara defined by peace, regional stability and prosperity.”

Trump also publicly thanked the Moroccan monarch, describing the naming of the motorway as “a great honour.”

Morocco has accelerated investment across its southern provinces in recent years through major spending on ports, roads, renewable energy and industrial projects, seeking to establish the region as a logistics and investment platform connecting Europe with Africa.

More than 130 countries have expressed support for Morocco’s autonomy proposal through formal endorsements or the opening of diplomatic missions in the southern provinces, while Washington continues to describe the initiative as a serious and credible basis for resolving the dispute.