Finland backs Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara
King Mohammed VI’s push for Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara gained more momentum from the international community on August 6th, as Finland officially backed the North African Kingdom’s Autonomy plan. According to Asharq al-Awsat and agencies, Helsinki described the proposal as representing a “good basis for a solution” to the dispute.
Finland now joins the list of EU member states supporting Morocco’s claim and becomes the first Nordic country to do so explicitly. Finnish officials said the proposal was the only realistic solution to the lingering territorial dispute.
The position was revealed in a joint statement released on August 6th after talks between Morocco’s Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita and his Finnish counterpart Elina Valtonen.
READ: Morocco king frees imprisoned journalists and intellectuals
“Finland considers the autonomy plan presented in 2007 as a serious and credible contribution to the UN-led political process and as a good basis for a solution agreed upon between the parties,” the statement read, reaffirming the Nordic country’s support for the “political process aimed at reaching a just, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution.”
Both ministers maintained their shared position on the UN’s exclusive role in the political process, reiterating their support for Security Council resolutions and the UN secretary-general’s personal envoy, which aimed to advance the settlement of the territorial dispute.
The news comes one week after France announced its decision to back Rabat’s plan on the Western Sahara. Observers believe that Macron’s foreign policy decision opened the door for other countries who have not recognised Morocco’s sovereignty over all its southern territories to adopt a similar position.
READ: Macron offers Morocco king olive branch over Sahara
The first country to announce such a position was the USA in 2020, nearing the end of Donald Trump’s presidency. He tweeted that the move was a tribute to Morocco, which was the first country to recognise the United States as an independent nation.
Diplomatic tensions between Madrid and Rabat were smoothened following Spain’s official endorsement of the autonomy plan in 2022.
The two nations were at odds with each other following Madrid allowing the treatment of Brahim Gali, the leader of the Polisario Front, for COVID-19 in a Spanish hospital. The move angered Morocco, which accused Ghali of war crimes and thus let 10,000 migrants arrive at the Spanish enclave of Ceuta in North Africa in retaliation.
As it stands, over 40 countries have expressed support for Morocco’s autonomy plan.
Asharq al-Awsat and agencies
