Panama reaffirms its support for Morocco's Autonomy Plan for Western Sahara
New show of international support for Morocco's Autonomy Plan for Western Sahara.
In this case, Panama has reaffirmed its support for the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Morocco over Western Sahara. This determination by Panama comes once again after the Panamanian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Eduardo Martínez-Acha Vásquez, visited Rabat in June to meet with his Moroccan counterpart, Nasser Bourita.
On the occasion of the recent celebration on 30 July of the 26th anniversary of Mohammed VI's accession to the Moroccan throne, the head of Panamanian diplomacy reaffirmed his recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara and the North African country's proposal for autonomy, considered ‘by the international community as the only credible, realistic and applicable option to resolve this dispute’.
Last June, the Panamanian Minister of Foreign Affairs already expressed the Central American nation's support for the Moroccan proposal as ‘the most serious, credible and realistic basis’ and ‘the only solution for the future’ to resolve the Sahrawi dispute.
The joint statement signed on 16 June 2025 in Rabat demonstrated the good relations between the two nations on various issues and, during this working visit, Javier Eduardo Martínez-Acha Vásquez expressed his country's support for Morocco's proposal for autonomy.
In line with the proposal put forward by the Kingdom of Morocco since 2007, Panama's head of diplomacy stressed in Rabat ‘the urgency of reaching a definitive and viable solution to this conflict’, in his capacity as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for the period 2025-2026.
Panama's position has changed radically over the last year on the issue of Western Sahara. In January 2024, a joint statement to this effect was signed at the end of a bilateral meeting held by videoconference between Moroccan Minister Nasser Bourita and his Panamanian counterpart at the time, Janaina Tewaney Mencomo.
Over time, Panama has affirmed its support for the Autonomy Plan as ‘the only basis for a just and lasting solution’ to the regional dispute.
And in November 2024, the Central American country suspended its relations with the self-proclaimed Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), a supposed state entity that does not have much international recognition and supports the Sahrawi independence claims defended by the Polisario Front, to which Panama also withdrew its support in a clear gesture of rapprochement with Morocco.
The Moroccan kingdom considers Western Sahara to be part of its southern provinces and is proposing an initiative for autonomy for the Sahrawi territory under Moroccan sovereignty, granting the Sahrawi authorities a high degree of self-government in many areas, although foreign and defence policy would remain in the hands of the Moroccan state. This plan is designed in accordance with UN resolutions, whose efforts to promote dialogue between the opposing parties are recognised by the Moroccan kingdom.
The challenge is to develop the area to its full potential in all aspects and put an end to a problem that has lasted for almost five decades since the end of Spanish colonial rule.
This new show of support from Panama further strengthens Morocco's position, whose autonomy initiative for Western Sahara has received much international support, including from very important nations such as the United States, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, France, Germany and Spain. Currently, more than 70% of the member countries of the United Nations Security Council support the initiative for autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty for Western Sahara. Referring precisely to this framework, Javier Eduardo Martínez-Acha Vásquez recalled, from Rabat, that the body had approved Morocco's proposal for an Autonomy Plan through Resolution 2756. ‘I am convinced that in the future it will be the only basis,’ he said.
