The Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs, Jean-Noël Barrot, received his Moroccan counterpart on April 14, Nasser Bourita, as part of a dense interview marked by a convergence of manifest views and a shared desire to open a new era in relations between France and Morocco.
A relationship called to flourish under the seal of an “strengthened exceptional partnership”
The two officials expressed their satisfaction before the unprecedented momentum experienced by the bilateral relationship, qualified as “EXCEPTIONAL PARTNERS EXCEPTED”sealed at the end of October 2024. This expression, now consecrated, translates a common ambition to build a political, economic and cultural building with renewed foundations and with an extended scope.
In this regard, MM. Barrot and Bourita carried out a careful assessment of the implementation of agreed commitments, among which are many sectoral agreements and an intensification of high -level reciprocal visits. They confirmed the next holder, in the fall, of a high -level meeting (RHN) on Moroccan soil, a tangible sign of the vitality of the bilateral dialogue.
Western Sahara: a French position reaffirmed with Constance
On the question of the Sahara, the chief of French diplomacy firmly recalled the position expressed by the President of the Republic, according to which the future of this territory is intended exclusively within the framework of Moroccan sovereignty. He reiterated the full support of France to the autonomy plan presented by Morocco in 2007, described as a “only viable base” to achieve a political, fair and sustainable settlement, in compliance with the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council.
France, he said, remains engaged alongside the Secretary General of the United Nations and its personal envoy, whose efforts to bring out a concerted outcome deserve resolved support. In this spirit, Mr. Barrot reported on concrete measures taken to support the economic and social development of the southern provinces, for the direct benefit of local populations.
A joint vision for regional stability and the defense of multilateral balances
The maintenance also enabled an in -depth review of regional and international issues. MM. Barrot and Bourita exchanged their analyzes on persistent tensions in the Middle East, the changes in progress on the African continent and the prospects of Euro-Mediterranean relations, by insisting on the need to bring a concerted and responsible voice in international pregnant.
They reaffirmed their attachment to close cooperation on the African continent, through a common roadmap articulated around the principles of co-construction, mutual respect and equality between partners.
Ocean, common good and environmental diplomacy
As an extension of this interview, the French Minister praised Morocco’s commitment to multilateral forums on peace, stability and development. He stressed that the third United Nations Conference on the Ocean (UNUCO), scheduled for Nice next June, would offer a tribune of choice to highlight the contribution of the Franco-Moroccan tandem to the preservation of world commons.
Mr. Barrot also welcomed the recent ratification, by Morocco, of the United Nations Treaty on the High Sea, an act which testifies to an assumed will to be part of the most advanced international legal architecture.
