Trump thanks Morocco for naming highway after him

US President Donald Trump on Sunday thanked Morocco's King Mohammed VI after the North African country named a major new highway in his honor.

“Thank you to Highly Respected Mohammed VI, the King of Morocco — such a great honor,” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social alongside a video of the “President Donald J. Trump” highway.

The president said he looked forward to “traveling the entire length of this great highway someday, hopefully soon.”

The highway stretches 1,055 kilometers (655 miles) from Tiznit to Dakhla, a city in the disputed territory of Western Sahara.

The move underscored close ties between Washington and Rabat. Morocco has the longest unbroken treaty of friendship in US history, dating to 1786.

Relations entered a new phase in December 2020, when Trump issued a proclamation recognizing Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara after Morocco agreed to normalize relations with Israel.

Western Sahara remains a key issue in North African diplomacy. Morocco has proposed broad autonomy for the territory under its sovereignty, while the Polisario Front continues to seek a referendum on self-determination, a position supported by Algeria.

In October, US envoy Steve Witkoff said his team was working toward a mediated settlement between Morocco and Algeria.

The UN Security Council recently adopted a US-backed resolution supporting Morocco's autonomy proposal.

The dispute over Western Sahara dates to 1975, when Spain ended its colonial rule of the territory. It escalated into armed conflict between Morocco and the Polisario Front until a 1991 ceasefire.