Algeria And Gangster Diplomacy: Japan Reaffirms Non-Recognition Of The Polisario

Strong reactions have surfaced following Algeria's blatant diplomatic interference last Friday, as it attempted to include a member of the Polisario in the preparatory work for the ninth TICAD summit, the Africa-Japan summit held in Tokyo. Participation in this summit is reserved exclusively for United Nations member states.

Algeria's plan was thwarted by the Moroccan delegation present during the preparatory sessions, which exposed methods likened to those of "gangsters." This provoked an Algerian "diplomat" to violently attack a Moroccan diplomat who had uncovered the infiltration of the polisario member into the meeting room, where a sign reading "Sahrawi Republic" had been displayed.

In response to these deceitful maneuvers and the chaos orchestrated by Algeria and the polisario, Japan, as the host of the TICAD summit preparations, reaffirmed through its Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, Yuichi Fukazawa, representing Minister Yuko Kamikawa, that it does not recognize the "so-called Sahrawi Republic" and that "the presence of this unrecognized entity as a state in no way alters Japan's position."

In contrast to these interconnected actions, Algerian activists and opposition figures did not hesitate to label Algeria's and the polisario's actions as "criminal gang practices, contrary to international diplomatic norms, and evidence that Algeria officially senses it is rapidly losing ground on this issue, reaching a point of no return."

Japan had previously made clear that it did not recognize this fictitious entity, notably during the Tokyo International Conference on African Development held in August 2022 in Tunis, having never invited this entity to participate in the various editions of the conference known as TICAD.

Tokyo reiterated this position during a meeting between its Foreign Minister and his Moroccan counterpart, Nasser Bourita, in Cairo in September 2023, during the Arab League Council's proceedings. Regarding "the Sahara issue," Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa praised Morocco's serious and credible efforts to advance the political process, while emphasizing the importance of the autonomy plan proposed by Morocco.

Japanese Foreign Minister Yuko Kamikawa reaffirmed this stance during her meeting with Nasser Bourita a few months ago, expressing Japan's appreciation for Morocco's serious and reliable efforts within the framework of the autonomy initiative to resolve the Moroccan Sahara issue, while acknowledging the Kingdom's various efforts in this regard.