Sahara: King Mohammed VI thanks French President for his support for Morocco

King Mohammed VI has thanked French President Emmanuel Macron for his crystal-clear support for Morocco’s sovereignty over its Sahara and for his backing to the autonomy plan as the only basis for a reaching solution to the Sahara regional dispute.

In July, President Emmanuel Macron backed, in a letter to King Mohammed VI, Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara and recognized the autonomy plan as the only solution to the conflict, opening promising prospects for bilateral ties.

In a speech he delivered this Friday at the opening of the Parliament fall session, the Monarch expressed on behalf of the Moroccan people his most sincere thanks to France and to President Macron for “this unequivocal support for the Sahara as a Moroccan territory”.

“The French Republic now supports the sovereignty of the Kingdom over the entire territory of the Sahara. It also backs the Autonomy Initiative within the framework of Morocco’s territorial integrity as the sole basis for resolving this artificial regional conflict,” underlined the King.

Through “this positive development, justice and legitimacy have been upheld, and so have Morocco’s historical rights, especially since this recognition emanates from a major country, which is a permanent member of the Security Council and an influential player on the global stage”, said the Moroccan Sovereign.

This recognition also supports the efforts exerted at the UN level to lay the groundwork for a political process that would lead to a final settlement of this issue within the framework of Moroccan sovereignty, added the Monarch.

The French position is part of the positive momentum confirming Morocco’s sovereignty over its Saharan territory and consolidating international support for the Autonomy Initiative, said the King, noting that the country has secured the recognition of influential countries which are permanent members of the Security Council, such as the United States of America and France.

King Mohammed VI also lauded the supportive stands of Arab and African countries to Morocco’s territorial integrity, especially the countries that have opened consulates in Laayoune and Dakhla.
Furthermore, the Autonomy Initiative – as the sole basis for reaching a final solution to this conflict within the framework of Moroccan sovereignty – enjoys broad support from an increasing number of countries from around the world, said the Monarch, citing in this regard the support of Spain, which knows well this issue as well as the backing voiced by majority of European Union members.

The King also thanked the countries that have trade relations with, or invest, in the Kingdom’s southern provinces, which are an integral part of our national territory.

In doing so, they are contributing to the economic, social and cultural development underway in the Moroccan Sahara, thereby reinforcing the status of the southern provinces as a hub for interaction and exchange between Morocco and the rest of Africa, said the Monarch.

This puts Morocco’s southern provinces front and center in the farsighted strategic initiatives launched by the Monarch, such as the Morocco-Nigeria Gas Pipeline project, the African Atlantic countries initiative, and the initiative designed to enable African Sahel countries to have access to the Atlantic Ocean.