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Rabat – Finnish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Elina Valtonen met with Moroccan counterpart Nasser Bourita while on official visit to Rabat today to bolster bilateral ties.
Following the talks, the Nordic country commended Morocco’s political stability and its ambitious reform agenda, which, under King Mohammed VI’s leadership contributes to positioning Morocco as a reliable and essential EU partner.
Foreign minister Valtonen expressed her full support for the renewed trajectory between the two countries, as well as her willingness to contribute to strengthening the strategic partnership.
Finland also reiterated its stance that “genuine autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty could be one of the most feasible solutions” in an official statement, considering it a serious, and credible basis for reaching a definitive and mutually acceptable solution to the Western Sahara dispute.
The country formally endorsed Morocco’s Autonomy Plan in August 2024, becoming the first Nordic country to do so. The endorsement followed Bourita’s visit in the beginning of that month, in which Helsinki said that the plan is “a good basis for a solution agreed upon by the parties,” marking a clear departure from the country’s earlier neutral stance.
In today’s joint statement, Finland also reiterated its backing of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2797, and reaffirming its support for the efforts of the United Nations Secretary-General and his Personal Envoy “to achieve a just, lasting, and mutually acceptable political solution to the issue of the Moroccan Sahara.”
For its part, Morocco, reaffirmed the importance it attaches to its “long-standing, close, multidimensional, and privileged” partnership with the European Union.
Both Bourita and Valtonen also recalled the institutional progress achieved at the fifteenth session of the EU-Morocco Association Council, held in Brussels last month on January 29. They also recalled both countries’ roles as signees of the Pact for the Mediterranean, launched in Barcelona in November 2025, which renewed ties between EU and its southern partners, based on mutual trust and shared responsibility.
The joint statement also emphasized Morocco’s important role as a trusted partner in the EU’s southern neighborhood, committed to regional stability and prosperity.
Finland and Morocco enjoy bolstering bilateral ties, particularly in trade and investment opportunities. The relationship spans 66 years and continues to evolve within a broader Morocco-EU economic context, as Finland sees Morocco as a strategic entry point into African and Mediterranean markets.
EU-Morocco trade surpassed €60 billion in 2024, with Morocco receiving approximately €270 million annually from the EU during 2021-2024.
