In January, a Norwegian news service discovered that a company from the Faroe Islands was involved in the exploration of natural resources in occupied Western Sahara. 

The Faroese company Thor Offshore is using one of their vessels as a supply vessel for the Norwegian company Fugro-Geoteam in the search for oil exploration. Such Moroccan oil exploration is in violation of international law as long as the people of Western Sahara is against it. Morocco has occupied the major part of Western Sahara since 1975.

After the issue of Thor Offshore has been covered on Faroese TV and national newspapers for several days, on the 2nd of February, the Faroese Ministry of Foreign Affairs published the statement below on its homepages, which supports the interpretation of the UN. 

"In light of the ongoing international debate about the legal status of Western Sahara, the Government of the Faroes has issued the following statement:

The foreign policy of the government of the Faroes is based on the fundamental view that all nations should strive for cooperation and harmony in their relations with each other.

The primary aim of the United Nations is to maintain international peace and security and the Government of the Faroes recognises that all nations have an equal right to exercise their right to self-determination.

The United Nations recognises that the people of Western Sahara have the right to self-determination and the Government of the Faroes supports their desire to exercise this right in practice.

The Government of the Faroes supports United Nations resolutions stating that the natural resources of Western Sahara should only be exploited and utilised when this is in accordance with the common will of the people of Western Sahara."

Here is the Faroese version.
"Fráboð um støðuna í Vestursahara 

Uttanríkispolitikkur Føroya byggir á hugsjónina um, at samljóð og samstarv skal vera millum heimsins tjóðir. Tær eru javnar í metum og skulu sýna virðing og hóvsemi sínámillum. 

Fremsta endamál Sameindu Tjóða er at tryggja heiminum frið og tryggleika. Føroya landsstýri viðurkennir týdningin av áhaldandi royndunum at tryggja heimsins tjóðum javnbjóðis rætt at útinna sjálvsavgerðarrætt sín.

Sameindu Tjóðir viðurkenna, at fólkið í Vestursahara hevur rætt at skipa seg sjálvt, og landsstýrið stuðlar ynskjum teirra at fremja henda rætt í verki.

Landsstýrið stuðlar samtyktunum um, at náttúrutilfeingi bert skal útvinnast, um hetta er í tráð við fólksins vilja í Vestursahara."


The Faroes is an autonomous province of Denmark.