US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, David Schenker, on Saturday welcomed in Laayoune the excellent relations between his country and Morocco, noting that these relations "have never been so strong as now".

Polisario, an armed separatist group in North Africa, and its master, Algeria, "have suffered a series of setbacks on many fronts in 2020," says electronic news outlet Eurasiareview.

The opening of consulates by several African and Arab countries in the Moroccan Sahara will reinforce peace and development in the region, Bangladeshi newspaper Dhaka Tribune points out.

The latest developments in the Sahara and in the MENA region will open up a new era of regional cooperation and a promising prospect for peace, said Finnish MP and president of the Finnish Christian Democrats party, Sari Essayah.

The European Union must "change its position" on the Sahara issue with a view to resolving a cyst-like conflict, said former French minister Jean Marie Le Guen.