The Government of Finland has voiced strong support for Morocco’s autonomy plan offered for the Sahara under its sovereignty, saying the plan is “a good basis for reaching a just, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution”.
The supportive stand comes in a joint press release issued Tuesday in Helsinki, following the talks held between Finland’s foreign minister Elina Valtonen and her Moroccan peer Nasser Bourita.
In the joint statement, Finland described the autonomy plan presented in 2007 as “a serious and credible contribution to the UN-led political process”, reaffirming support for the UN Security Council resolutions and the efforts engaged by the UN Sahara envoy for advancing the political process to reach a lasting and peaceful settlement to the Sahara regional conflict.
Finland’s new position is a state position, involving all spheres of the state, within the executive and legislative branches. It was made in consultation with the President and following consultations at the Government level and at the level of the Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee.
This new position actually marks a substantial evolution compared to the country’s former stand, which consisted in supporting the efforts of the United Nations.
Finland’s support for the autonomy plan marks a Moroccan diplomatic breakthrough in Scandinavian countries and is part of an international momentum in favor of a solution to the Sahara conflict within the framework of Morocco’s sovereignty. It came a few days after France clearly expressed support for the autonomy plan for the Sahara under Morocco’s Sovereignty and said autonomy was “the only basis” to end the conflict.
It is also part of the momentum within the European Union, Finland becoming the 17th EU member state to support autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty.
In the joint communiqué, the Moroccan and Finnish top diplomats expressed the two countries’ willingness to strengthen economic and trade relations. They agreed to expand annual political consultations and hold a joint business seminar in 2025 to facilitate dialogue between investors.
Huge business opportunities are offered in several sectors, especially in digitalization, cyber-security and the deployment of secured 5G networks which are important for national security, investors and digital economy.
Morocco is looking forward to benefiting from Finland’s experiences and know-how in renewable energies, de-carbonization, smart water management and green hydrogen, healthcare sector…
Finland hails Morocco’s important contributions to the EU-Africa partnership, regional cooperation & stability, the fight against terrorism and illegal migration.
Morocco praises Finland’s Africa Strategy and voices willingness to support it at the bilateral level and through tripartite cooperation with African countries.