Moroccan, French diplomacies to Embody Spirit of Reinforced Exceptional partnership – MFA Bourita.
French President Emmanuel Macron and First Lady Brigitte Macron had made a historic State visit to the Kingdom of Morocco between 28th and 30th October 2024.
The visit’s key point came at the Rabat Royal Palace on Monday, where Macron and King Mohammed VI signed 22 agreements covering a wide range of sectors, including food security, energy, and railway.
Worth €10 billion, the agreements signed between the two countries aim to bolster their bilateral ties for years to come, the Royal palace said in a statement.
Another highlight of Macron’s was his historic speech on Tuesday to both houses of the Moroccan parliament, where the French President reaffirmed support for Morocco’s territorial integrity and sovereignty over its southern provinces.
In his speech, Macron renewed France’s steadfast support for Morocco’s territorial integrity, saying that “For France, the present and future of this territory lie within the framework of Moroccan sovereignty. Autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty is the framework within which this question must be resolved”.
(MFA Bourita with his French counterpart)
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.”
Speaking at a press briefing following his talks with Mr. Jean-Noël Barrot, French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Mr. Nasser Bourita, Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates,noted that the diplomacies of the two countries will ensure that this state of mind, which prevailed in the exchanges between HM King Mohammed VI and the French President, H.E. Mr. Emmanuel Macron, is also reflected on a daily basis in bilateral relations, as well as at the level of regional, international and multilateral bodies.
For Bourita, this is a new phase and a new stage for this deep and rich relationship, in the wake of this new era opened on Monday by His Majesty the King and the French President.
The Declaration on the “Reinforced Exceptional Partnership” between Morocco and France, signed by HM King Mohammed VI and President Emmanuel Macron, defines the principles that will guide this new stage and sets out the governance and key sectors of this partnership, in addition to the territorial scope of application, he said.
This Declaration will also guide “our action in the future”, he added, noting that despite the difference in diplomatic culture, Morocco and France, which share the same goals of stability and development, will, thanks to this new partnership, strengthen the mechanisms of consultation and coordination.
Regarding the Moroccan Sahara, Bourita stressed that, as part of the impetus given to the national cause by HM King Mohammed VI, Morocco’s official map including its Sahara was published on Tuesday on the official website of the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, noting the expansion of the French consular district to cover the southern provinces of the Kingdom.
“France, through its role within the Security Council and its knowledge of the genesis and evolution of this conflict, has an important role to play in this context,” he concluded.
For his part, the French Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, said that His Majesty King Mohammed VI and the French President, H.E. Mr. Emmanuel Macron, have laid the foundations for a “genuine overhaul of the strategic partnership” between the two countries.
“This is the aspiration of the Declaration signed by the two Heads of State on Monday, to build and implement a reinforced exceptional partnership in all areas, with three major goals”, said Barrot. These three goals are political convergence in the face of major contemporary challenges, the deepening of economic partnership, particularly in strategic sectors, and the strengthening of cooperation in the fields of human links, human capital and culture, he added.
The head of French diplomacy also stressed that the relationship between Morocco and France “is rooted in a shared memory and a common heritage,” in human ties with some 700,000 Moroccans living in France and nearly 80,000 French nationals in Morocco, as well as in economic ties, with France the leading investor in the Kingdom, with over 1,000 subsidiaries of its companies contributing to nearly 150,000 jobs, and Morocco the leading African investor in France.
The French Minister also announced that his countryintends to increase its consular and cultural presence in the Moroccan Sahara, in order to create a French alliance.
“We are going to increase our consular and cultural presence there, in order to create a French alliance,” said Barrot.
Mr. Jean-Noël Barrot also added that “Morocco’s map has been updated and put online on the website of the (French) Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs,”.
The French minister keenly stated that his country will be at Morocco’s side “to promote a just and lasting political solution, of which the 2007 autonomy plan is the only basis.”
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.”