Estonia reiterated, on Tuesday, its support for the autonomy plan, presented in April 2007 by Morocco, to settle the Moroccan Sahara issue, describing the plan as a “good, serious and credible basis for an agreed solution between all parties,” while “encouraging other governments to join this position”.
This announcement was made by Estonia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Margus Tsahkna, during a press conference following talks in Tallinn with Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates, Nasser Bourita, who is paying a visit to Estonia, the first by a Moroccan Foreign Minister to the country.
This support for the autonomy plan comes amid growing international momentum, driven by His Majesty King Mohammed VI, for Morocco’s sovereignty over its Sahara and the Autonomy Plan.
Estonia’s position aligns with the spirit of the United Nations Security Council’s most recent Resolution 2756, which welcomed the positive momentum and urged efforts to build upon it.
In the same context, the Quai d’Orsay, reaffirmed in a press release issued on Tuesday, following the meeting between the Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs of the French Republic, Mr. Jean-Noël Barrot, and his Moroccan counterpart Mr. Bourita, its “intangible” position of support for Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara.
The Quai d’Orsay press release reiterates the position expressed by President Emmanuel Macron to His Majesty King Mohammed VI in his letter of July 30, 2024, stressing that “for France, the present and future of Western Sahara lie within the framework of Moroccan sovereignty”, while recalling “the intangibility of France’s position” and its commitment to “act consistently with this position at national and international level”.
In addition, the French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs reiterated France’s “clear and constant support for the autonomy plan under Moroccan sovereignty”, as “the only framework within which this issue must be resolved”, stressing that this is “the only basis” for achieving a political solution, reads the press release.
Noting the “growing international consensus” in support of the Moroccan autonomy initiative, Jean-Noël Barrot stressed that France intends to play its full part.
In addition, France reiterated its commitment “to support Morocco’s major efforts to promote economic and social development” in the Kingdom’s southern provinces, recalling the various measures taken to this end and expressing its desire to pursue this dynamic, the press release concluded.
