Morocco welcomed the United Nations Security Council’s adoption of Resolution 2756 on Thursday which extends the mandate of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in the Sahara (MINURSO) one more year until October 31, 2025.
Morocco’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation, and Moroccans Living Abroad stated the resolution is a significant step forward toward the nation’s regaining its territorial integrity over the Sahara, especially amid increasing international support for Morocco’s exercise of its sovereignty over the region.
Morocco’s Foreign Ministry pointed to backing from influential Security Council members and other global powers for its territorial integrity and for Morocco’s 2007 Autonomy Plan, which has received wide acclaim as a “serious” and “credible” political resolution.
In July, France’s recognition of Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara charted a new course for the regional dispute, prompting many analysts to conclude the long-standing dispute is nearing a conclusion.
On Wednesday, France’s President Emmanuel Macron said during an interview with television channel 2M that his country’s newfound support for Morocco on this issue is causing a shift in European politics.
Less than a month after France announced its support for Morocco’s territorial integrity, Denmark became the first Nordic country to endorse the autonomy plan as a “serious and credible contribution” to resolving the longstanding conflict in the Moroccan Sahara.
In addition, a growing number of nations have also withdrawn their recognition of the self-proclaimed Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (RASD).
Resolution 2756 approved yesterday includes two key provisions that support Morocco. First, the Council “welcomed the recent momentum” around the Sahara negotiations and urged all parties to sustain this progress.
Thus, the Foreign Ministry asserted that the UN now recognizes the inevitability of aligning its actions with the direction set by the international community’s endorsement of Morocco’s autonomy proposal.
Resolution 2756 also encourages all parties to avoid actions that could “disrupt the political process.” The provision accords with Morocco’s position that political progress hinges on respecting the ceasefire in the region.