Morocco's King Says Determined to React Against Any Security Threat

Morocco's King Mohammed VI (C), flanked by his brother Prince Moulay Rachid (R) and son Crown Prince Moulay Hassan, speaks to the nation, last July. (AFP)
Morocco's King Mohammed VI (C), flanked by his brother Prince Moulay Rachid (R) and son Crown Prince Moulay Hassan, speaks to the nation, last July. (AFP)
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Morocco's King Says Determined to React Against Any Security Threat

Morocco's King Mohammed VI (C), flanked by his brother Prince Moulay Rachid (R) and son Crown Prince Moulay Hassan, speaks to the nation, last July. (AFP)
Morocco's King Mohammed VI (C), flanked by his brother Prince Moulay Rachid (R) and son Crown Prince Moulay Hassan, speaks to the nation, last July. (AFP)

Morocco's King Mohammed VI warned Monday that his country will respond in self-defense against any threat to his country's security. This came during a phone conversation the King held with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres over the situation in Guerguerat.

King Mohammed stressed that Morocco will take necessary measures to keep order and protect safety and fluidity of passenger and commercial traffic in border area between Morocco and Mauritania.

Morocco, however, also remains "firmly determined to react, with the greatest severity, and in self-defense, against any threat to its security,” the king said, quoted in an official statement.

"Morocco took its responsibility in line with its legitimate right after the UN Secretary-General failed in its laudable attempts to end the unacceptable acts of the Polisario," he noted.

Morocco will continue supporting UN efforts to find a political solution on the basis of clear criteria and with the participation of real parties to this regional conflict in order to find a realistic, feasible solution within Morocco’s sovereignty, he added.

“Morocco restored the situation, proceeded to a lasting settlement of the problem and guaranteed resumption of traffic flow.”

For its part, the Somali Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed support to Morocco in a tweet.

“The government of the Federal Republic of Somalia stands alongside the brotherly Kingdom of Morocco in all the measures it undertakes to protect its security and sovereignty over its territories at the Guerguerat crossing point between Morocco and Mauritania.”

Also, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of The Gambia issued a press release on Monday to hail Morocco’s “peaceful and decisive intervention” to secure the region after Polisario and its supporters staged illegal protests in the region.

The West African country also said it supports the UN-led political process to find a political solution to the Western Sahara conflict.

Moreover, President of the Pan-African Parliament Roger Nkodo Dang has sent a letter to the African Union foreign ministers to draw their attention to the maneuvers of the 3rd Vice President of the PAP Jamal Bouras against the interests of the Kingdom of Morocco.

The authoritarian abuses of Bouras, who acts as the president without rotation, have created a serious institutional and functional crisis within the Pan-African Parliament, Dang underlined in the letter.

The president, blocked in Cameroon, stressed that all decisions, declarations, and actions taken outside what is provided for by the texts in force, cannot be considered as reflecting the position of the PAP or its legitimate bodies.



Türkiye Denies Direct Talks with SDF, Demands Full Disarmament

Türkiye insists on the dissolution of the SDF, the departure of foreign fighters from Syria, and the integration of remaining members into the new army (Reuters)
Türkiye insists on the dissolution of the SDF, the departure of foreign fighters from Syria, and the integration of remaining members into the new army (Reuters)
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Türkiye Denies Direct Talks with SDF, Demands Full Disarmament

Türkiye insists on the dissolution of the SDF, the departure of foreign fighters from Syria, and the integration of remaining members into the new army (Reuters)
Türkiye insists on the dissolution of the SDF, the departure of foreign fighters from Syria, and the integration of remaining members into the new army (Reuters)

Türkiye has denied holding any direct negotiations with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), asserting that no dialogue is possible unless the group dissolves itself and fully disarms.

Omer Celik, spokesperson and deputy chair of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), firmly rejected recent reports and statements suggesting contacts between Turkish authorities and the SDF.

“No official meetings have taken place,” Celik stated Thursday, following a high-level party meeting chaired by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

His comments came in response to a recent interview with SDF commander Mazloum Abdi, who claimed there had been direct contacts and expressed openness to meeting Erdogan. Without naming Abdi directly, Celik dismissed the notion that Türkiye had engaged with the SDF as though it were an independent entity. “It is unacceptable to frame the situation in that way,” he said.

Celik reiterated that any engagement would only be possible if the SDF disbands, lays down its arms, and ends its affiliation with the PKK (Kurdistan Workers’ Party), which Ankara considers a terrorist organization. “If they disarm, then a meeting could be possible,” he added.

In recent days, several Western media outlets reported that US-mediated talks had taken place between Türkiye and the SDF. These reports claimed the discussions centered on reducing tensions, dissolving the SDF, and implementing a March agreement with the Syrian government that would see SDF fighters integrated into a new Syrian army and hand over ISIS-linked detainees and camps to Damascus.

While some reports hinted at a potential meeting between Abdi and either Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan or intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin, Fidan denied such plans. He confirmed that Türkiye is working with both Washington and Damascus to implement the SDF’s military integration.

Celik also acknowledged an agreement between the SDF and the Syrian government that would see the SDF hand over territory to state control. He stated that all PKK elements, especially those from the YPG (the SDF’s leading faction), must leave the country.

Referring to a May 12 PKK statement titled “Dissolution of the PKK and Disarmament,” Celik stressed that Erdogan had made it clear that all PKK-affiliated structures, including the SDF, must be dismantled and disarmed.

“This is not about opposing Kurdish rights,” Celik concluded. “President Erdogan told Assad years ago: Give Kurds their rights like any other citizens. But we will never allow a terrorist state on our southern border.”