President Emmanuel Macron reiterated his country’s firm support for Morocco’s sovereignty over its Sahara on Tuesday in a speech he delivered before the two Houses of the Moroccan Parliament.
“And I reaffirm it here before you. For France, the present and future of this territory (Sahara) lie within the framework of Moroccan sovereignty. Autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty is the framework within which this question must be resolved,” declared the French Head of State, reiterating the clear and strong position he had communicated in his message to King Mohammed VI on Throne Day last July.
President Macron also pledged, in the name of France, to “accompany Morocco in international fora,” stressing that “the 2007 autonomy plan is the only basis for achieving a just, lasting and negotiated political solution in accordance with the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council.”
“And I say here too, with great force, that our operators and our companies will support the development of these territories through investment and sustainable, mutually-supportive initiatives for the benefit of the local population,” President Macron affirmed before Moroccan MPs.
This significant change in France’s position is set by President Macron against a regional backdrop that must give priority to cooperation and consultation. In this context, he explained that “this position is not hostile to anyone. It rather opens a new page between us, and with all those who wish to act within a framework of regional cooperation, in the Mediterranean, with Morocco’s neighboring countries and with the European Union.”
By recognizing the Kingdom’s immemorial rights, France, through this historic speech delivered by its President before the Parliament, confirms the deep ties that bind the two States and the two peoples.
“Throughout the past decades, Morocco and France have remained faithful allies in troubled times, and France has never failed Morocco on any of the existential issues it has faced”, the French President emphasized.
President macron arrived Monday in Rabat on a three-day state visit to the Kingdom at the invitation of King Mohammed VI. Shortly after his arrival, President Macron was received by the Moroccan Sovereign. They discussed the new reinforced Moroccan-French partnership and future cooperation roadmap.
The two Heads of State discussed the situation in the Middle East and called for an immediate cessation of the attacks in Gaza and Lebanon, and reiterated the urgent need to re-launch the peace process on the basis of the two-State solution.
They signed a joint Declaration opening a new era in the two countries relations and chaired the signing ceremony of 22 deals and cooperation projects in strategic sectors including railways, renewable energies, green hydrogen, ports, education, culture, agriculture and farming.
