Morocco has named a highway connecting the south of the country to the Moroccan Sahara after US President Donald Trump, the official Moroccan news agency (MAP) reported on Saturday.
The "Donald J. Trump Highway" was named after the expressway connecting Tiznit and Dakhla.
Morocco’s King Mohammed VI had made the announcement to Trump in a message dating back to July 2.
In his message, King Mohammed VI stated: "Your historic 2020 recognition of Morocco's sovereignty over its Sahara will remain engraved in the memory of Moroccans," according to AFP.
He added: "In recognition of this favor stemming from a belief in the values of friendship and peace, and as an expression of my personal appreciation for you, I have decided to name one of the kingdom's largest highways after Your Excellency."
He added that the highway spans a distance of 1,055 kilometers, making it "the largest road infrastructure in Africa."
In December 2020, Trump announced his support for the Moroccan plan to grant the Moroccan Sahara autonomy under the kingdom's sovereignty.
In a message addressed to the Moroccan monarch this week on the occasion of the 27th anniversary of his accession to the throne, Trump reaffirmed his unwavering support for Rabat's plan regarding the Moroccan Sahara, MAP reported on Saturday.
In a post on his Truth Social platform on July 26, Trump welcomed King Mohammed’s decision to name the highway after him.
The yet-to-be-completed project includes a highway connecting Tiznit and the city of Laayoune, considered the vibrant heart of the Moroccan Sahara. It extends through an expanded road to Dakhla, with an estimated cost of approximately 850 million euros ($980 million).
