Interview with H.E. Mrs. Karima Kabbaj, Moroccan Ambassador to Hungary

We interviewed H.E. Mrs. Karima Kabbaj, Ambassador of Morocco to Hungary, about Hungarian-Moroccan relations, the Sahara, the Council of Arab Ambassadors and much more.

Daily News Hungary (DNH): There are many places in Budapest that attract tourists, but what attractions would you recommend to Moroccans when they come to Hungary?
H.E. Mrs. Karima Kabbaj: Hungary is a country filled with history. Its sophisticated and diverse architecture is breath-taking and the landscapes it offers are stunning.
Since the country offers so much, it will be hard for me to choose the recommendations. The Parliament building, the museums, mainly the national museum and fine art museum, Buda castle and Fisherman’s Bastion as well as the opera are places that I would say are a must-see when in Budapest.
Also, I would suggest that they seize the opportunity they are in Budapest, the city of arts, and to attend concerts of classical music, especially at the well-known Franz Liszt Academy and the Opera House.
I will also add to enjoy the beauty of the Danube, which reminds me of the Bou Regreg river which divides two cities in Morocco, Rabat, the capital and Sale, the city of the historic ochre-colored walls. Experiencing the thermal baths, enjoying Hungarian cuisine, and exploring the city is the best way to get to discover Hungarian culture.

DNH: Tourism is what many of us think of when we think of Morocco. What are three things Hungarian tourists should definitely visit in your country? Related to this, is there any chance of a regular flight between the two capitals again?
H.E. Mrs. Karima Kabbaj: Indeed, Morocco is one of the best tourists’ destinations in the world. The sector of tourism in Morocco is considered strategic as it generates about 7% of the country’s GDP. In 2022 and despite the effect of the outbreak of COVID-19, Morocco was able to recover and attracted over 10.9 billion tourists.

Morocco is a colorful country, we even have some specific colored cities, such as, Marrakech, the Red city, Tangier, the White Pearl of the North as well as Chefchaouen, a hidden Blue Gem and Fes the Yellow city.

It is also a vibrant country, which offers dazzling diversity, not only culturally but also in terms of landscapes, mountains, different beaches (Atlantic and Mediterranean), Sahara Desert and mostly the warmth and hospitality of its people, which I have experienced and felt with the Hungarian people, whom kindness always reminds me of people at home.
I would suggest to take the imperial cities tour that allows you to visit the most important heritage sites and the history of the Moroccan dynasties. The itinerary will let you discover different regions and cities of Morocco, such as Marrakech, famously one of the best destinations for tourism in the world. Fes, the spiritual capital of Morocco, where throughout history, Muslims, Jewish and Christians lived in harmony. The city is also home to the oldest still-functioning university in the world “al-Qarawiyyin” established in 857-859. From there, the trip will head to Rabat, the city of light, a city where history and modernity blend together. It has been recently featured in Time Magazine as “World’s greatest place for this year”.
My suggestion will also be to dive into the beauty of the Sahara region, like enjoying Dakhla for its spectacular lagoons and golden sand. Dakhla is also known as one of the important destinations for international amateurs and professionals in sliding sports.
With regard to your question on direct flights between Hungary and Morocco, the discussion is undergoing for the time being without a specified calendar. However, Morocco is reachable from mostly everywhere within a couple of hours.

DNH: Few people in Hungary know that Sahara is a major source of conflict between Morocco and its neighbor. Could you explain what is at the heart of the conflict and what peaceful solutions you see in this matter?
H.E. Mrs. Karima Kabbaj: The regional dispute over the Moroccan Sahara, which is an existential issue for the Moroccan Nation as a whole, remains one of the oldest regional conflicts in the world.
To gain independence, Morocco had to negotiate, in stages, the retrocession of different parts of its national territory, in accordance with the UN Charter. The same process had been applied to recover the Sahara region which was under the Spanish administration. In this regard, The General Assembly resolution urged the Spanish administrative power, in 1965, to take necessary measures for the liberation of the rest of the Spanish Sahara. Accordingly, Tarfaya and Sidi Ifni recovered respectively in 1958 and 1969. In 1975, and after long negotiations, an agreement was signed with Spain, the “Madrid Agreement” duly registered at the UN, according to its dispositions, Morocco should recover the rest of its southern provinces by peaceful means. After that, the Green March was organized and which was a momentum that marked our history. Unfortunately, the changes in the context of Spain, the Maghreb and at the international level, made the complete recuperation of the Sahara region complicated.
In addition, Polisario, the separatist armed group, who are maliciously and falsely claimed rights to represent the Sahrawi population, did not exist during the colonial period, and is not recognized at the international level as “a liberation movement” and even less as “sole legitimate representative” of the Sahrawi people. This separatist group holds no legal or popular base, or even any democratic legitimacy to aspire to represent the population of Sahrawi origin. This is also reflected by the withdrawal of recognition by the international community, of the self-proclaimed “republic” of the Polisario. Today, only 31 countries out of 193 states members in the UN recognize the fallacious and illusionary “republic”.
This same separatist group has also proven, to the whole international community, to have direct connections with terrorism in the Sahel region. For example, the infamous terrorist Adnan Abu Walid was a member of the Polisario before becoming the head of the terrorist group “Islamic State in the greater Sahara” who used to seek refuge in the Tindouf camps, run by the Polisario, and which became a hub for financing terrorism in the Sahel, through the illicit transfer of funds.
Regarding Tindouf camp, which is not on Moroccan territory, is subject to daily repression, excessive use of power, enforced disappearances, arrests and torture, resulting in several casualties among the inhabitants of the camps, as well as the restrictions on freedom of expression and mobility imposed by the Polisario, not to mention the embezzlement of the humanitarian aid.
According to different reports, notably the one presented by the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF), on the food aid provided by the EU Member States, revealed that much of the international humanitarian aid to Tindouf camps is embezzled and sold in an organized way in favor of polisario officials, leaving the rest of the people in the camp suffering from hunger, malnutrition and different diseases.
It is worth underlining that the Polisario is insisting on the organization of the Referendum as the only solution to achieve self-determination, while the mechanism has proven to be inapplicable in the case of the Sahara, due to the tribal and nomadic aspects of the Sahrawi population, which made the identification process for the referendum impossible and indecisive.
Therefore, and since 2004, the Security Council, no longer invokes the organization of a referendum and has continuously called upon the parties to “put an end to the impasse and move towards a final political solution mutually accepted and of compromise” to the regional dispute over the Moroccan Sahara.
In response, the Kingdom of Morocco submitted an Autonomy initiative, in April 2007, that is substantial, innovative and in accordance with international law. This proposal gained support from many countries and created a new dynamic within the SC.
Since then, all the SC Resolutions adopted on the regional dispute over the Sahara, have confirmed the pre-eminence of the Autonomy Plan, and recognized its credibility and its seriousness.

Hungary, a country that has also suffered similar challenges with the adoption of the Trianon Treaty in 1920, is aware of the sensitivity of the issue and is one of pioneer European countries that always supported the territorial integrity of Morocco and praised the autonomy plan presented by Morocco and the efforts carried out under the exclusive auspices of the United Nations to achieve a realistic, pragmatic, lasting, political and compromise-based solution to the regional dispute over the Moroccan Sahara.

This dynamic in favor of the Moroccan territorial integrity has been also expressed by more than 27 countries who have established their General Consulates in the Southern provinces of Morocco, in Laayoune and Dakhla, reflecting their full support to the territorial integrity and Sovereignty of the Kingdom over its Sahara.
Therefore, Morocco’s sovereignty over its Sahara is a historical fact, legal legitimacy and a cause of a nation, which is fully reflected by the Moroccan Initiative for Autonomy, in all its human, social, political, cultural, and economic components.