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Join on Telegram Rabat – A high‑level delegation from the three southern regions of Morocco, Laayoune‑Sakia El Hamra, Guelmim‑Oued Noun, and Dakhla‑Oued Eddahab, met on Tuesday evening in Paris with members of the Senate friendship group Groupe d’amitié France‑Maroc.
The visit is part of ongoing efforts to deepen bilateral cooperation and highlight development opportunities in Morocco’s southern territories.
In a welcome speech, Senator Olivier Bitz, Vice‑President of the friendship group, expressed pride at hosting representatives from the “chamber of territories,” stressing the Senate’s longstanding support for close French-Moroccan ties, and reaffirming backing for Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara region.
He recalled the Senate’s recent co‑organized event with the Moroccan Embassy in Paris celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Green March, which he described as “an exceptional moment of celebration of French‑Moroccan friendship.”
Bitz recalled that the President of the French Senate, Gérard Larcher, visited Laayoune earlier this year, underlining the institution’s availability “to work together to strengthen our relations … especially through decentralized cooperation.”
He also hailed the “exceptional work” led by King Mohammed VI to develop the southern provinces in Western Sahara, noting “considerable investments in a wide variety of sectors: economic development, renewable energy, higher education, and health.”
The Moroccan delegation, led by Laila Hammouchi, Director‑Governor for Local Public Services at the Interior Ministry, included the President of the Guelmim‑Oued Noun region, M’barka Bouaida, the President of Dakhla‑Oued Eddahab region, Yanja El Khattat, and the representative of the Laayoune‑Sakia El Hamra region, M. Mhamed Abba.
All participants expressed satisfaction with the quality of the discussions and discussed the potential for enhanced bilateral cooperation in economic investment, decentralized regional cooperation, student and cultural mobility, and other sectors.
Read also: Morocco-France Economic Forum to Position Southern Provinces as New Investment Frontier
Senator Catherine Morin‑Desailly described the meeting as a “chance to reaffirm the need for cooperation and to better identify partnership areas.” On their part, Moroccan delegates noted the opportunities for investment and development in the southern provinces, reflecting recent progress under the regionalization policy led by the monarchy.
The delegation also held discussions with French Foreign Minister Jean‑Noël Barrot. They are scheduled to meet the next day at the French National Assembly with the head of the France‑Morocco friendship group there, Hélène Laporte.
France’s diplomatic posture in 2024-2025 has undergone a decisive shift in favor of Morocco’s position on the Western Sahara issue. In a letter dated July 30, 2024, French President Emmanuel Macron formally recognized that the “present and future” of Western Sahara fall within the framework of Moroccan sovereignty, and reaffirmed support for the 2007 Autonomy Plan proposed by Rabat.
Macron declared that autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty “constitutes the only basis for a just, lasting and negotiated political solution.” He added that French operators and businesses would contribute to the development of the southern provinces through sustainable investments to benefit local populations.
In addition, the French Agency for Development announced in May it will invest €150 million ($175 million) in the Western Sahara, showing the commitment to social and economic development of the region.
In this context, the presence in Paris of a delegation from the southern Moroccan provinces and their meeting with French senators and officials, gains political and diplomatic significance.
It comes at a time when Paris’s official position aligns firmly with Rabat’s vision of regional autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty, and when several major international actors, including the US, expressed readiness to support development in the south.
