Spanish government reaffirms its support for Morocco's Sahara plan

The Spanish government, led by Pedro Sánchez, has reiterated its support for Morocco's sovereignty over Western Sahara in a response to a question from a Spanish MP.  

"Spain's position on Western Sahara is fully consistent with international law," the Spanish government said. The written reply also highlights the joint declaration adopted on 7 April 2022 on the occasion of the meeting between the King of Morocco, Mohammed VI, and Pedro Sánchez, as well as the declaration of 2 February 2023, the day on which the 12th High Level Meeting (HLM) between Spain and Morocco was held in Rabat.  

The meeting officially inaugurated a new phase in bilateral relations between the two kingdoms based on mutual respect and dialogue. Numerous agreements were also signed in different areas such as the economy, trade, culture and education.   

In its response, the Spanish government also assures that the country "favours a mutually acceptable political solution within the framework of the United Nations Charter and the resolutions of the Security Council". 

"Spain supports the efforts of the UN Secretary General's Special Envoy, Sfaffan de Mistura. His work is fundamental and has the full backing of the Spanish government," it adds.   

Likewise, the Spanish government assures that it will continue to "support the Sahrawi population in the camps as always". "Spain has traditionally been the leading bilateral donor in Europe and one of the donors with the greatest presence and capacity for dialogue with the Sahrawi authorities responsible for cooperation, UN agencies and NGOs, maintaining our status as the main international donor of humanitarian aid in this context", it concludes.  

This response was addressed to Jon Iñarritu García, deputy of the EH-Bildu political party, who put a question to the Spanish government in the Congress of Deputies regarding Madrid's position on Western Sahara. 

In a historic twist, Pedro Sánchez assured King Mohammed VI in March 2022 that Spain considered Rabat's autonomy proposal for Western Sahara as 'the most serious, credible and realistic basis for the resolution of this dispute'.  

This recognition significantly strengthened ties between Spain and Morocco in a number of areas.