The Fórum Canario Saharaui welcomes Spain's renewed support for Morocco's Autonomy Plan for the Sahara
The Fórum Canario Saharaui has expressed its satisfaction with Spain's renewed support for Morocco's Autonomy Plan for Western Sahara, a fact that was made clear at the latest positive meeting held in Madrid between Nasser Bourita, Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs, and his Spanish counterpart José Manuel Albares.
The Forum seeks to work and cooperate to end the dispute over Western Sahara as soon as possible by reaching an agreement between the parties involved. Bearing in mind that Morocco now has the strongest international backing for its Autonomy Plan for Western Sahara, which is seen as the most serious, credible and realistic option for resolving the Sahrawi dispute.
The official statement of the Fórum Canario Saharaui is reproduced below:
STATEMENT BY THE FÓRUM CANARIO SAHARAUI ON THE RECENT JOINT HISPANO-MOROCCAN DECLARATION
The Fórum Canario Saharaui expresses its deep satisfaction and firm support for the recent joint statement made on 17 April 2025 by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Spain and Morocco, José Manuel Albares and Nasser Bourita, in which Spain reaffirms its support for the Moroccan Autonomy Plan for Western Sahara.
Our association, founded in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria in 2007, has maintained since its creation as one of its main objectives to collaborate in ending this conflict under the premise of this proposal. The most important part of this effort has always been aimed at achieving the return of the Sahrawi people to their territory from their exile in the Tindouf camps, favouring the reunification of families painfully separated for decades.
Following the historic change of position adopted by the Spanish Government in March 2022, when it recognised the Moroccan autonomy proposal as ‘the most serious, credible and realistic basis for the resolution of this dispute’, we are extremely pleased to see that this position is not only being maintained but also consolidated and strengthened. Last Thursday's joint statement reaffirms this commitment and demonstrates that bilateral relations between Spain and Morocco are at their best, as both ministers have stated.
We consider it particularly relevant that Minister Bourita pointed out that those who continue to demand a referendum on self-determination ‘do not want a solution’ and intend to ‘keep the Sahrawi refugees in the Algerian desert for another 50 years’ out of selfishness from their comfortable position far from the hardships of the desert. This statement is fully in line with the position that our Forum has defended for years, and which we have expressed in various forums, articles and press releases, often in the face of strong criticism and pressure.
Far from ‘U-turns’ and ‘Copernican shifts’, as some tendentiously claim, distorting reality, international support for the Moroccan Autonomy Plan has been significantly strengthened, with the backing of 22 European Union countries, in addition to the firm support of powers such as the United States and France, among others. This growing international convergence demonstrates the viability and realism of the Moroccan proposal as the only feasible way to definitively resolve this long-standing conflict.
We also welcome the concrete progress being made in the implementation of the roadmap agreed in 2022, with significant advances in migration, economic, trade and security cooperation, such as the reopening of the commercial customs posts between Ceuta and Melilla and Morocco. These tangible advances confirm that the path taken three years ago is bearing fruit for the benefit of both countries and the entire region.
The Fórum Canario Saharaui reiterates its conviction that the proposal for autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty represents the only realistic solution to end a conflict that has caused too much human suffering. This proposal would allow the Sahrawi people to manage their own affairs within a framework of legal certainty and regional stability, putting an end to the painful exile that only benefits the ruling elites of the Polisario Front and the State that hosts them, Algeria.
We urge all political actors, especially in Spain, to set aside ideological dogmas and adopt a position based on pragmatism and the real well-being of the Sahrawi population. The normalisation of relations between Spain and Morocco has proven to be a factor of regional stability and a catalyst for bilateral cooperation in multiple areas.
After 18 years defending this position, the Fórum Canario Saharaui is hopeful that the international community and our Forum are gradually converging towards a solution that will finally put an end to this dispute after almost half a century of tragedies and family separations. The recent joint statement marks a new milestone on this path and reaffirms that the position we have held since our foundation was and remains the most sensible and realistic one to guarantee a future of peace and prosperity for all the inhabitants of the Sahara.
