Rabat — France is committed to supporting Morocco’s territorial integrity and sovereignty over its southern provinces in Western Sahara.
France displayed this commitment through the latest announcement from the French Development Agency (AFD), which is planning to make major investments of €150 million in Morocco’s southern provinces.
The agency’s Director General, Remy Rioux, announced the news from Laayoune during his visit to the region as part of the flurry of visits by French official delegations carried out since the country’s newfound historic recognition of Morocco’s sovereignty over its southern provinces in Western Sahara.
“The AFD Group will now invest in the southern regions by bringing in investments and financing,” Rioux told the press, noting that he is “very impressed” by the investments and the quality of infrastructure that the region witnessed recently.
He said this contributed to job creation to meet the expectations of youth in the region.
The director also welcomed the presence of private companies and the establishment of industrial zones in the region, adding that AFD’s investment in Laayoune Sakia El Hamra serves as a signal to encourage more economic stakeholders.
France announced its recognition of Morocco’s sovereignty over its southern provinces in July of last year in a letter Emmanuel Macron directed to King Mohammed VI.
In the message, Macron informed the monarch that the present and future of Western Sahara lie within Morocco’s sovereignty over its southern region.
He also highlighted the importance of the Moroccan Autonomy Plan as the only feasible political solution to end the dispute.
The letter was followed by a State visit by Macron in October of the same year, in which he publicly announced the European country’s decision in the Moroccan parliament, noting that France’s decision is hostile to nobody.
His remarks came in response to Algeria’s regime maneuvers and attempts lobbying against France’s newfound position, as Algiers has been challenging Morocco’s territorial integrity for years by harboring the Polisario Front and financing its hostile terrorist acts against Rabat and interfering in its domestic affairs.
Since Macron visited Morocco, official delegations have visited the North African country, especially visiting the southern region for the first time in their capacity as French officials.
The delegations that visited southern provinces included Minister of Culture Rachida Dati and Ambassador Christophe Lecourtier, among several others.
The latest historic decision France took also includes expanding its consular services to Morocco’s southern provinces, particularly to residents of Laayoune, Dakhla, and Es-Semara.
This means that for the first time, residents of the region will be able to apply for French visas directly from their city.
France confirmed the expansion of its visa services to the region during the official inauguration of a new TLS visa center, which handles consular applications, in Casablanca in April.
