Rabat – Sweden has officially expressed its support for Morocco’s Autonomy Plan for Western Sahara, describing it as a credible and realistic basis for reaching a final solution to the long-running regional dispute.
The Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced this position after a phone call on Monday between Sweden’s Foreign Minister, Maria Malmer Stenergard, and her Moroccan counterpart Nasser Bourita.
Sweden said its stance is in line with United Nations Security Council Resolution 2797, adopted on October 31, 2025.
According to the statement, Sweden considers the Moroccan autonomy initiative to be a serious and credible proposal that can serve as the foundation for negotiations under the supervision of the United Nations.
With this announcement, Sweden joins the large majority of European Union member states that support Morocco’s Autonomy Plan. It also aligns with more than two-thirds of UN member countries that have publicly backed the initiative in recent years.
Over the past decade, many countries across Europe, Africa, the Americas, and the Arab world have expressed support for Morocco’s proposal. Several have also opened consulates in the southern Moroccan cities of Laayoune and Dakhla to express recognition of Morocco’s sovereignty over the region.
The latest UN Security Council Resolution 2797 reaffirmed the council’s support for a political, realistic, and lasting solution to the dispute. The resolution emphasized that a genuine autonomy arrangement under Moroccan sovereignty is the most practical and viable solution to the conflict. It also renewed the mandate of the UN mission in the region and encouraged all parties to engage constructively in the political process.
The UN has consistently called for a negotiated solution, and recent resolutions have increasingly highlighted realism, compromise, and pragmatism, principles closely associated with Morocco’s autonomy plan.
Morocco presented its Autonomy Plan in 2007. The proposal offers the Sahara region wide self-governing powers, including local control over economic, social, and cultural affairs, while Morocco retains sovereignty, national defense, and foreign policy responsibilities.
The plan has gained momentum over the years as many countries view it as a balanced solution that preserves regional stability and avoids renewed tensions in North Africa.
