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France’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Jean Noel Barrot renewed on Monday his country’s determination to boost the Moroccan-French bilateral ties at the Paris Peace Forum.
The French Minister said the two countries are now looking towards a future that Paris and Rabat decided to build and defend together.
“We have decided to launch a renewed partnership for the years to come, and we will make it even stronger,” the top French diplomat said.
Barrot made similar remarks during his recent working trip to Morocco as part of Emmanuel Macron’s state visit in October.
Speaking at a press conference, Barrot said: “We have translated words into action, and I am pleased to announce that the map of Morocco has been updated and published on the website of the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs.”
The French minister’s remarks referenced France’s historic decision to recognize Morocco’s sovereignty over its southern provinces in Western Sahara.
During his state visit last month, Macron renewed the French decision he had announced in July, noting that the present and future of the Western Sahara region lay within Morocco’s sovereignty.
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The visit was marked, among other historic developments, by the adoption by France’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Morocco’s full map including its southern provinces.
France has since started formalizing its pledges toward Morocco, with the French embassy in Rabat announcing this week that Ambassador Christophe Lecourtier would soon travel to the southern Moroccan provinces of Dakhla and Laayoune to explore the opening of qbFrench consulate in the region.
The visit, which the French diplomat kicked off yesterday, saw a delegation of business leaders and embassy staff visiting the southern provinces to engage in discussions with the local population to map the need of the region for projects tailored to meet citizens’ aspirations.
During his Peace Forum comments on Monday, Barrot also addressed the need for France to maintain good ties with Africa, a continent he described as important and increasingly indispensable in world affairs.
“We must do more and do better with Africa because we have a long history with this great continent,” he said.
On Sunday, Morocco’s Foreign Affairs Minister Nasser Bourita made similar remarks, stressing Africa’s growing significance on the global stage.
Bourita, whose comments came as he participated in the Russia-Africa Summit, called for an end to the traditional foreign ties with Africa, noting the need to move away from a paternalistic approach.
“We come to Sochi with a strong conviction: it’s not Africa that needs the rest of the world,” he said. “In fact, it’s the rest of the world that increasingly needs Africa.”
