Fórum Canario Saharaui Hails Spain's Support for Morocco's Autonomy Plan
The organization welcomed the joint declaration made on April 17 by Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares and his Moroccan counterpart Nasser Bourita in Madrid.
'The recent joint declaration marks a new milestone in this path, reaffirming that the position maintained by our Association since its inception was and continues to be the most sensible and realistic to guarantee a future of peace and prosperity for all inhabitants of the Sahara,' the Forum said in an official statement.
The Forum particularly seized on Bourita's remarks that those who continue demanding a self-determination referendum 'do not want a solution' and aim to 'keep Sahrawi refugees in the Algerian desert for another 50 years.'
The organization noted that this assertion 'fully coincides with the position our Forum has defended for years.'
The Spanish-Moroccan joint declaration reaffirmed Spain's position that the Moroccan autonomy initiative, presented in 2007, remains 'the most serious, realistic and credible basis for resolving this dispute.'
This position was initially adopted by Spain in March 2022 when the government recognized Morocco's proposal as the foundation for resolving the conflict.
Both ministers touted the positive trajectory of bilateral relations, pointing to substantial progress in migration cooperation, economic exchanges, and security collaboration.
Trade between the two countries reached nearly €23 billion in 2024, representing a 7% increase from the previous year.
Read also: Ex-Spanish PM Zapatero's Latest Book Lauds Morocco Ties, Backs Autonomy Plan
The Canary Saharan Forum rejected claims that Spain's position represented any sudden change of direction.
'Far from 'swerves' and 'Copernican turns,' as some tendentiously falsely claim, international support for the Moroccan autonomy plan has been considerably strengthened,' the statement noted, adding that 22 EU countries now recommitted to the plan, alongside the United States and France.
Last month, the Forum had condemned what it called media campaigns by individuals who 'only seek to distort the reality of Western Sahara with false trips purportedly seeking to monitor human rights, but in reality seeking personal public notoriety and propaganda activity in favor of the Polisario Front.'
The Moroccan top diplomat's recent diplomatic tour yielded decisive international backing for Morocco's position.
During visits to the United States, France, Spain, Croatia, Hungary, Moldova, Estonia, and Slovenia, Bourita secured renewed support for the autonomy plan as the only realistic solution to the regional dispute.
The Forum urged political actors, especially in Spain, 'to set aside ideological dogmas and adopt a position based on pragmatism and the real welfare of the Sahrawi population.'
It maintains that the autonomy proposal under Moroccan sovereignty would allow Sahrawis to 'manage their own affairs within a framework of legal security and regional stability.' Tags: autonomy planMorocco Spain relationsWestern sahara
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