PanOrient News | Macron’s state visit to Morocco recalibrates the two countries’ relations

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Diplomacy

Macron’s state visit to Morocco recalibrates the two countries’ relations

Saturday, November 2, 2024

PanOrient News

TOKYO: French President Emmanuel Macron paid a state visit to Morocco from October 28 to 30 at the invitation of King Mohammed VI, giving new momentum to the bilateral relations of the two countries.

During his visit, Macron made an offer to the Moroccan King of a new bilateral “strategic framework” to be signed in 2025, 70 years after the Celle-Saint-Cloud Declaration that sealed Morocco’s independence from France. The agreement will be signed during the King’s state visit to France next autumn.

At a ceremony at the Royal Palace in Rabat before an audience of French and Moroccan Ministers and business leaders, 22 agreements worth billions of euros in contracts and commitments were signed. The most important of the projects relate to energy transition and electricity interconnections, with the production of renewables in Morocco seen as a means of decarbonizing Morocco’s economy and bringing green energy to France.

Macron made a speech before the two chambers of the Moroccan Parliament that received a standing ovation and several interruptions of enthusiastic applause, especially when he spoke about France’s position on the Sahara issue. The French President solemnly reaffirmed that “the present and future” of the Western Sahara “falls within the framework of Moroccan sovereignty”.

Macron added that “this position is not hostile to anyone” in response to criticism from Algeria, which supports the Polisario Front in this disputed territory. He said that French businessmen and companies would accompany the development of these territories through investments, sustainable initiatives and solidarity for the benefit of the local population.

In a letter to King Mohammed VI on July 30, 2024, Macron said the future of the Western Sahara lies “within the framework of Moroccan sovereignty”, paving the way for Paris to regain Rabat’s confidence and translating this realignment of the French position into a state visit.

Macron also explained at length the benefits of Franco-Moroccan joint action in Africa, which he described as the continent of the future, and highlighted the important role Morocco can play thanks to its geostrategic location and culture, and the need to “emulate” what Morocco has done on the continent.

In his speech before Parliament, the French President also commented on what is happening in Lebanon and Gaza, calling for an “immediate cessation of attacks.” While recognizing “Israel’s right to defend its people,” he stressed that “nothing can justify the humanitarian toll in Gaza.” In both cases, he emphasized the need for a diplomatic approach to end the war.

Macron’s speech was preceded by a joint call with the King of Morocco for “an immediate cessation of attacks in Gaza and Lebanon,” and “emphasizing the priority of protecting the civilian population and the importance of ensuring and facilitating adequate humanitarian access, while putting an end to the escalation of the situation, at the regional level.” The two leaders also noted the need to urgently “revitalize the peace process within the framework of the two-state solution.”

At the end of the visit, Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita and his French counterpart Jean-Noël Barrot held a press conference during which Barrot declared that his Ministry had decided to modify the map of Morocco on its official website to include the territory of the Western Sahara as part of the Moroccan kingdom. He also indicated that Paris has extended its consular and cultural activities to cover the Moroccan Sahara region.