By laying the foundations for a new partnership, Morocco and France confirm in 2024 the resilience of their relations, displaying a common desire to register them in a new era with a clear and ambitious roadmap commensurate with the new challenges that arise in an international context in full mutation.
The ambition of this renewed partnership, on an equal footing, taking into account the interests of both countries, gained more vigor with the state visit made at the end of last October to Morocco, at the invitation of King Mohammed VI, by the French President Emmanuel Macron, during which the two Heads of State decided to "write a new chapter in the long history" between the two countries, by raising the bilateral relationship to the level of an "Enhanced Exceptional Partnership".
The related declaration was signed by the King and the French President who carry the high ambition that this partnership can allow both countries to better respond to all the challenges they face, by mobilizing the key sectors of bilateral, regional and international cooperation.
Macron's visit was crowned by the signing of 22 bilateral agreements, under the presidency of the two Heads of State, to which are added about twenty others sealed within the framework of the Morocco-France entrepreneurial meeting.
These agreements cover areas as varied as the integration of value chains and industrial ecosystems, green energy, infrastructure, youth, innovation, migration management and Africa for which Morocco positions itself as the natural gateway for France and Europe.
One of the highlights of this visit was the historic speech of the French President before the Moroccan parliament, in which he reaffirmed his country's support for the Kingdom's sovereignty over its Sahara, reiterating that "for France, the present and future of this territory are part of the framework of Moroccan sovereignty".
"Autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty is the framework in which this issue must be resolved. And the 2007 autonomy plan constitutes the only basis for reaching a just, lasting and negotiated political solution in accordance with the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council", he insisted, assuring that this position, "anchored in history, respectful of realities and promising for the future", is the one that France will implement to accompany Morocco in international bodies.
In the opinion of many observers, the evolution of France's position on the national issue, which is part of the spirit of the international dynamic of support for the Moroccan Sahara, is perceived as a harbinger of an even more promising future for Franco-Moroccan cooperation in its various aspects: economic, cultural, security, social, environmental, etc. This is evidenced by the multitude of agreements signed during the French President's state visit to Morocco, including those concluded with the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) group, which announced in the wake its intention to invest in the Moroccan Sahara.
For the French expert on international issues, Guillaume Chaban Delmas, this visit completed "an important year for Morocco, which asserts itself every day a little more as a leading regional and global power".
"The Kingdom positions itself as a sustainable strategic partner that intends to speak on an equal footing", notes the expert, saying he is convinced that the future of the Mediterranean arc, Europe and Africa and perhaps even the Middle East, "will be played out, in part, in this Franco-Moroccan understanding which is destined to be further strengthened in order to offer the world a voice of dialogue and peace".
And to conclude that "at a time when many are building walls, our two countries can position themselves, together, as a duo capable of creating bridges".
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