Algerian Radio
Participants at the Diplomatic Forum of Solidarity With the Sahrawi People, held on Tuesday in Algiers, reaffirmed the need to enable the Sahrawi people to exercise their right to self-determination and independence, calling on the international community to assume its responsibilities in this regard.
The Diplomatic Forum of Solidarity With the Sahrawi People held its seventh edition at the South African Embassy in Algiers. The event was attended by the Sahrawi Minister of Foreign Affairs and African Affairs, Mohamed Yeslem Beisat, and ambassadors from countries standing in solidarity with the Sahrawi cause.
During this edition, organized by the South African Embassy, participants focused on evaluating the work accomplished and developing the annual program in light of the latest developments concerning the Sahrawi issue. They also explored means of showing solidarity with the Sahrawi people in their resistance to oust the occupier.
Holding a press conference at the conclusion of the Forum, alongside the Sahrawi and South African ambassadors to Algeria, Mr. Beisat noted that the meeting allowed participants from brotherly and friendly nations to be briefed on the latest developments in the Sahrawi people's struggle and their just cause. It also covered the upcoming celebrations for the 50th anniversary of the proclamation of the Sahrawi Republic.
The Sahrawi Minister stated that the Forum adopted a communiqué reaffirming the participating countries' solidarity with the Sahrawi people's struggle and urging the international community to support the Sahrawi people's right to self-determination.
On this occasion, Mr. Beisat expressed, on behalf of the President of the Sahrawi Republic, Brahim Ghali, and the Sahrawi Government, his "deep gratitude" and "sincere thanks" for the stances taken by these countries and their governments in favor of the Sahrawi people's right to self-determination and independence.
The Sahrawi people's celebration of the 50th anniversary of the proclamation of their state provides them with the strength needed for another fifty years of resistance, he stated. He emphasized the Sahrawis' determination to fully secure their rights, regardless of the sacrifices required.
For his part, the South African Ambassador, Ndumiso Ndima Ntshinga, highlighted that the Sahrawi cause and the Sahrawi people's right to self-determination are garnering growing solidarity, recalling that Western Sahara remains a territory awaiting decolonization.
"We support the Sahrawis in all their endeavors (...) in multilateral forums and other spaces where the Sahrawi issue is raised," he said.
In a statement to APS, Sahrawi Ambassador Khatri Adouh Khatri underscored the major significance of this meeting, which takes place as the Sahrawi people celebrate the 50th anniversary of the proclamation of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, resolute in their determination to continue the struggle to definitively assert their rights.
After reaffirming that the Sahrawi people's inalienable right to self-determination is the sole basis for a definitive settlement of this decolonization issue, the Sahrawi diplomat welcomed "the regular convening of this Forum's meetings. These gatherings allow the embassies of member countries, which maintain brotherly relations with the Sahrawi people, to reiterate their total support for their just cause and their State, which embodies their aspirations for independence, freedom, and sovereignty."
