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Join on Telegram Rabat – Mohamed Benchaaboun, Morocco’s Ambassador to France, praised the relations between the two countries and called for their preservation as they face global challenges during a “dinner of Franco-Moroccan friendship” held on Tuesday.
“France and Morocco have a close relationship, which draws its strength and resilience from a deep friendship and converging interests that we must preserve together and elevate to meet the heavy challenges of this new world,” the ambassador noted.
The Moroccan diplomat confirmed that the two countries have the same stance when it comes to major international and regional issues.
“Our exceptional partnership reinforces the Euro-Mediterranean and Euro-African strategy to intelligently address the numerous regional and bilateral challenges”, he argued.
“These challenges require our two societies to cooperate and recall the strategic partnership between Morocco and France,” Benchaaboun said, stressing the importance of constantly renewing the partnership.
Morocco’s relations with France have been marked with tensions in the past few months. The European country has limited the number of visas issued to Moroccans since 2021, and has also been reluctant to make its position on Western Sahara clear.
In 2022, King Mohammed VI called on all of Morocco’s partners to make their stances as clear as possible, saying that the territorial dispute is “the lens through which Morocco looks at the world.”
A visit by French President Emmanuel Macron to Algiers in August only served to heighten the tensions. Following that visit, he stated that he would visit Morocco in October.
He added that Morocco’s commitment to peace and stability is constant, along with its commitment to multilateralism and solidarity actions in international and regional organizations.
“As a bridge between Africa and Europe, a crossroads of civilizations, a country of transit, with the spirit of responsibility and consultation, Morocco works to overcome the obstacles generated by the migratory phenomenon,” he added.
Read also: Moroccan Human Rights League Condemns French Visa Restrictions
Benchaaboun also touched on the Western Sahara dispute, saying that “the important and irreversible developments that we have experienced on this issue are decisive for the future of our region, its stability and its security.”
He also called to attention the support that Morocco’s Autonomy Plan has been enjoying, calling it “part of a strong international dynamic to resolve this artificial dispute.”
Regarding the economic sector, Benchaaboun communicated that there remains a huge potential to explore, which should encourage greater economic cooperation between France and Morocco.
He called to attention the “exceptional investment program” launched by Morocco to make its southern provinces more appealing to foreign investors, inviting France to capitalize on its historic proximity to Morocco to promote projects in the kingdom.
Morocco has spent the past few years developing its southern region into an attractive investment hub, starting major projects to build highways, ports, and airports to provide the region with a much-needed foundation for investment.
