Dili (Timor-Leste), August 29, 2024 (SPS) – The President of the Republic, Secretary General of the Polisario Front, Mr. Brahim Ghali, was received by his counterpart, President of the Republic of Timor-Leste Mr. José Ramos-Horta, as part of the visit he is taking to this country, on the occasion of the commemoration of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the self-determination referendum.

The President of the Republic expressed his thanks for the kind invitation he received to attend this distinguished occasion, congratulating his Timorese counterpart on behalf of the Sahrawi people and wishing him further progress, advancement and prosperity.

The President of the Republic also expressed his gratitude for the principled and permanent positions alongside the struggle of the Sahrawi people by Timor-Leste at all levels and in all international forums and platforms in which it participates, as an embodiment of solid relations, reinforced by the common history of struggle for freedom and independence.

Mr. Brahim Ghali, briefed his counterpart on the latest developments in the national cause, especially since the resumption of the armed struggle, after the Moroccan occupation state violated the ceasefire agreement on November 13, 2020, referring to the gross violations of human rights and the blatant attacks, expropriation of their lands, seizure of their property or destruction of them to which defenseless Sahrawi citizens in the occupied territory are subjected, in light of a security and media siege, restrictions and plundering of natural resources.

President Ramos-Horta, who thanked the President of the Republic for accompanying the people of Timor-Leste in commemorating the anniversary of the popular consultation that led to the establishment of their independent state, reiterated his country’s firm position in support of the Sahrawi people’s right to self-determination and independence.

He also briefed the President of the Republic on the efforts of this young state in the areas of development and institutional building and prospects for future work, reiterating in this context his determination to consolidate the relations of friendship and cooperation between the Republic of Timor-Leste and the Sahrawi Republic.

The meeting was attended on the Timorese side by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and a number of the President’s advisors, while on the Sahrawi side it was attended by Advisor to the Presidency, Mr. Abdati Breika and Ambassador of the Sahrawi Republic to Timor-Leste Mr. Aba Malainin.