Finland considers the Moroccan autonomy plan «a good basis for a solution» to the regional dispute over the Sahara. This stance was articulated in a Joint Communiqué issued on Tuesday by Helsinki, following a meeting between Nasser Bourita, Morocco's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Elina Valtonen, Finland's Minister of Foreign Affairs. «Finland considers the autonomy plan presented in 2007 to be a serious and credible contribution to the UN-led political process and a good basis for a solution agreed by the parties», the communiqué continued, reaffirming Finland's support for «the political process aimed at achieving a just, lasting, and mutually acceptable political solution». The communiqué also highlighted the two ministers' shared view on the exclusive role of the United Nations in the political process, reiterating their support for UN Security Council resolutions and their respective countries' backing of the UN Secretary-General's Personal Envoy's efforts to advance this process. Finland's new position marks a shift from the previous stance of Scandinavian countries, which have traditionally leaned closer to that of the Polisario Front. This announcement follows France's recent recognition of Morocco's sovereignty over the Sahara, conveyed in a letter from President Emmanuel Macron to King Mohammed VI. France thus becomes the second permanent member of the UN Security Council, after the United States, to recognize Morocco's sovereignty over the Sahara.
