French FM: Rabat must count on Paris and its clear position in support of the Sahara autonomy plan

French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné, on an official visit to Rabat today, stated that the issue of the Sahara is the main point of his visit to Morocco, announcing that, “through the autonomy plan, Rabat must count on Paris and its clear position in support of this plan.”

During a press conference with Moroccan FM Nasser Bourita, Séjourné added that “France’s position is clear, and it wants to resolve the conflict within the framework of a proposal that satisfies both parties, and to advance our position in the Sahara means to adopt pragmatism in the file, while supporting the efforts of the UN envoy, Staffan de Mistura, to reopen negotiations.”

The French minister explained Paris’ position on the Sahara conflict, saying, “The meaning of progress means social development in the southern provinces, and Morocco has made an important development movement in many areas, which means that Paris will support Morocco’s efforts to develop the southern provinces, and this is Paris’ current position on the conflict.”

“The choice of Morocco as my first visit to the region was based on the existence of an exceptional bond, and President Macron wants this bond to remain,” Séjourné said.

The French official emphasized that “Macron asked me to renew this link, and many ministers, including the economy, culture, and the mayor of Paris, will visit the Kingdom in the future, and vice versa for Moroccan officials.”

“The roadmap is clear in light of the upcoming benefits, in light of mutual respect,” Séjourné said, noting that “the past months have seen important talks to strengthen this relationship.

“Our goal is to build a partnership for the next 30 years. Morocco has developed a lot under the Moroccan king, and we must see the challenges ahead with a lot of foresight, in order to keep up with the rapidly changing world,” the French diplomat said.

“We will look at these realities with great ambition, our partnership will be strong in the fields of clean energy, and Rabat must count on Paris to defend its priority issues,” the French foreign minister highlighted.

He continued: “We support cooperation between Morocco and the European Union, and through my experience in Europe, I will seek to strengthen Moroccan-European cooperation.” “We touched on many regional issues, and Morocco in Africa always seeks peace and security, and France seeks to deal with Morocco in this regard,” he added.

Séjourné summarized, saying: “We touched on the topics of wealth sharing, combating terrorism and human rights, and here I congratulate the Kingdom on presiding over the UN Human Rights Council, and we want to work with Morocco with full friendship and respect, while preserving our common interests,” pointing out that “Paris is waiting for Bourita’s visit to Paris, and is happy to open a new page of cooperation.”