Berlin (Germany), 16 March 2024 (SPS) - The German Ministry of Economic and Environment Affairs has affirmed that it will not provide any financial support or guarantees for economic projects located on the territories of Western Sahara under Moroccan occupation.
In the response sent by the German ministry on March 5th to the member of the Bundestag, Deputy Ali Al-Dailami, who inquired about whether the potential support that the German government would grant to Siemens Energy would extend to the company's projects in the occupied Western Sahara, the German ministry affirmed that it had provided a guarantee of payment default amounting to 7.5 billion euros to Siemens. It emphasized that within the framework of rescheduling the company's debts and the negotiated guarantee conditions, the German government commits to excluding any credit support for projects managed by the company in the occupied Sahrawi territories.
This is the second confirmation of its kind within three months, as the German government previously affirmed in November of the previous year, through the words of the German Deputy Minister for Economic Affairs and Environment, Udo Philipp, that "the German government does not support any projects in occupied Western Sahara." The decision was justified by the "undetermined legal status" of the Western Sahara region, which the United Nations classifies as a non-self-governing territory, pending decolonization.
In response to the clarification from the German government, a statement issued by the representation of the Polisario Front in Berlin stated that "the response is in line with the position adopted by the German government in 2017 regarding the financial rescue of Siemens Energy and its projects in Western Sahara." Germany affirmed at that time that it does not support any economic activities of German companies in Western Sahara and does not guarantee any business conducted in the territory through export credits and investment guarantees.
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