Western Sahara: Sweden supports the Moroccan plan for autonomy

Sweden announced its support for the autonomy plan proposed by Morocco for Western Sahara, calling it a “reliable basis” to settle the regional conflict, thus joining most of the countries of the European Union that support this initiative.

This position follows a telephone conversation last Monday between the Swedish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Maria Malmström, and her Moroccan counterpart, Nasser Bourita, during which they examined the prospects for a political settlement in the light of United Nations resolutions, in particular the latest resolution Number 2797.

In a statement, the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the Moroccan proposal was “the most serious and realistic” framework to achieve a lasting solution in accordance with international law, underlining the importance of negotiations under the auspices of the United Nations in a spirit of consensus.

The new Swedish decision reflects the growing international support for the Moroccan position, especially after the publication of the Security Council resolution last October, which strengthened the position of autonomy as a means to end a conflict that has been going on for decades.

Resolution 2797 (2025) of the United Nations Security Council, adopted on October 31, 2025, which extends the mandate of MINURSO over Western Sahara and qualifies a genuine autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty as the most realistic and feasible solution to resolve this conflict, encouraging quadripartite negotiations. This resolution is perceived as a strategic turning point, enhancing the Moroccan autonomy plan and marking an increased international alignment on this basis.

Before this happened:

UN Backs Morocco’s autonomy plan — a landmark diplomatic triumph for Rabat

It was adopted after a period of deadlock in the Security Council and benefited from the leadership of the United States, with the support of France and the United Kingdom, and the abstention of Russia and China.

It reaffirms its support for a political solution based on the autonomy plan proposed by Morocco, calling it “the most feasible solution”.

It calls for quadripartite discussions (Morocco, Mauritania, Algeria, Polisario) to reach a final and mutually acceptable political solution regarding the Western Sahara conflict.