Royal speech hailed in France as auguring new era in Moroccan-French ties
The Speech delivered on Friday by King Mohammed VI at the opening of the Fall session of the Parliament was hailed in France as auguring a new era in Moroccan-French ties and as consolidating the dynamic momentum of bilateral relations.
In his speech, the King paid a special tribute to France, which now, he said “supports the sovereignty of the Kingdom over the entire territory of the Sahara.” France “also backs the Autonomy Initiative within the framework of Morocco’s territorial integrity as the sole basis for resolving this artificial regional conflict.”
“I wish to take this opportunity to offer, personally and on behalf of the Moroccan people, our most sincere thanks and to express our gratitude to France and to His Excellency President Emmanuel Macron, for this unequivocal support for the Sahara as a Moroccan territory,” King Mohammed VI stated, underlining the importance of this recognition, since it emanates from a major country, which is a permanent member of the Security Council and an influential player on the global stage.
Reacting to the speech, French MP Estelle Youssouffa hailed it as auguring a new era in ties between Morocco and France and welcomed the new prospects it opens for bilateral relations.
The French MP, who is member of the National Assembly’s Foreign and European Affairs Committee, wrote on her X account that King Mohammed VI’s thanks to President Emmanuel Macron for supporting Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara and the applause of friendly Moroccan parliamentarians “go straight to the heart.”
“A new era is opening up in the ties between our two countries, which are so closely linked,” added the French MP.
Khaled Hamadé, President of the International Institute for Geopolitical Studies, on his part, stressed that the decisive evolution of France’s stance lays the ground for the refoundation of the two countries’ exceptional partnership.
“By thanking France and President Emmanuel Macron in a speech as solemn as the opening of the autumn session of Parliament, for supporting Morocco’s sovereignty over the entire Sahara territory, HM the King underlines the importance of this alignment as France’s position, as a permanent member of the Security Council, confers additional international legitimacy on Moroccan sovereignty, and reinforces efforts to achieve a definitive settlement of the Sahara question,” the French political scientist commented.
This development, he said, “responds perfectly to the aspirations of HM the King, who has laid the foundations for an exceptional partnership with France, giving this relationship a renewed dimension.”
Seen from a geopolitical angle, this evolution goes “beyond mere political considerations, by integrating the Moroccan Sahara into vast economic and strategic projects, such as the Morocco-Nigeria gas pipeline or the Atlantic initiatives,” explained Hamadé.
“These joint actions, based on mutual respect and a shared vision of regional security and stability, represent a genuine sacred union between the two countries”, noted the President of the International Institute for Geopolitical Studies. For him, the two countries “are creating a model of balanced cooperation in the face of global security and economic challenges, laying the foundations for shared prosperity over the coming decades.”
Guillaume Jobin, a French writer and media figure, on his part, pointed out that the royal speech “consolidates the dynamic momentum of French-Moroccan relations,” and that France’s decision to support Morocco’s sovereignty over its Sahara “only further strengthens the significant evolution of the age-old relations between the two countries.”
Guillaume Jobin, who is also President of L’ Ecole Supérieure de Journalisme in Paris, commended the Royal diplomacy’s “pragmatism,” noting that the Kingdom today is “proactively” asserting itself on the international diplomatic landscape.
Jobin, who authored several books on Morocco, praised how Morocco is regaining the initiative on the Moroccan Sahara issue, imposing a new dynamic of change on the international stage.
“Thanks to the proactive diplomacy of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, Morocco has regained control of the situation,” Jobin added.
Another French Geopolitics Expert, Aymeric Chauprade, said the positive evolution that followed France’s position consolidates the international momentum around the Moroccan Sahara issue, and will accelerate and strengthen the strategic and economic partnership between Paris and Rabat.
“Morocco now has a great deal of weighty support for its sovereignty over the Sahara, but for France there was more than the geopolitical dimension, there was also an emotional dimension,” Chauprade said.
“The two countries’ shared history adds an emotional dimension and Moroccans have been, for a long time, unable to understand France’s hesitation. The situation is henceforth clear which will accelerate and strengthen the strategic and economic partnership between our two countries,” said the former French MEP.
The expert who welcomed French President Emmanuel Macron’s decision as “excellent” said “this decision is right in terms of international law, in terms of geopolitics, and in line with the long history, because the Sahara has always been Moroccan. It is also in line with the interests of France, which must help Morocco consolidate its sovereignty, as it is in everyone’s interest to have a stable Saharan and Sahelian region.”
