Rabat, 29/10/2024 (MAP) – French President, H.E. Mr. Emmanuel Macron, said, here Tuesday, that Morocco and France are “now destined to lay the foundations for a reinforced exceptional partnership.”
“Morocco and France are now destined to lay the foundations for a reinforced exceptional partnership between our two countries, and to offer the generations of the 25 next years this new book, lucid about the past, but turned towards the future,” Macron said in a speech delivered during a joint session of the two Houses of Parliament.
“At a time when His Majesty King Mohammed VI and I decided to write a new book together, I want to share with you that I am certain that these ties while continue to grow ever stronger,” the French President stressed, expressing his thanks to His Majesty the King for “the strong words that he had spoken here, on October 11th, about France.”
Recalling that Morocco remains one of the oldest Monarchies in the world, Macron emphasized that the Kingdom “moves forward with confidence, confidence in itself and in its King, awareness of its long history, and the energy of a vast youth, fully committed to supporting its emergence.”
In this context, he highlighted the values of diversity, dialogue and tolerance, which remain at the heart of the identity of Morocco’s people, its institutions and its Constitution.
“The tolerant Islam promoted by His Majesty the King, Commander of the Faithful, challenges all forms of extremism,” the French head of State added, noting that Morocco’s wealth “is even more precious and worthy of respect at a time when our world is torn apart by intolerance and war.”
Reaffirming the unique ties of friendship between Morocco and France, Macron said that “25 years have passed since His Majesty has become Sovereign of the Kingdom of Morocco, embodying the continuity of one of the world’s oldest dynasties and one of the faces of industrial and technological modernity.”
In this respect, he stressed that “the next quarter-century will present us with all the challenges and possibilities.” “In reaffirming a unique bond of friendship on this anniversary, I see the opportunity and the need to write this new book to face and meet the challenges of the century,” he said.
The French President also highlighted the different facets of the exceptional partnership between Morocco and France, citing, in this context, the partnerships for security and anti-trafficking “which undermine our societies and threaten our States.”
Macron also stressed that France has always supported Morocco in its economic and social development momentum, citing education, higher education and investment.
In the same vein, the French President highlighted the many promising sectors in which the two countries are committed to close cooperation, citing the development of the high-speed train, and the cultural and creative industries, where France and Morocco aim “to make this a central element of attractiveness as well as employability for our youth.”
“Developing new strategic partnership together by mobilizing our economic, technological, academic and artistic forces,” the French President said.
Macron also expressed Paris’ commitment to strengthening cooperation with Morocco on water and adaptation, while praising the progress made by the Kingdom in this area, underlining that “Morocco, in this respect, has a lot to teach the rest of the world, which is why I hope that water highways will be at the heart of the One Water Summit to be held late this year, and that we can support you on this unprecedented path of adaptation and sovereignty”.
The French President also reaffirmed his country’s will to forge new partnerships with Morocco in “industry, healthcare and the digital sector, as well as in agriculture, which is vital to the food security of our countries and the continent.”
Speaking on the Moroccan Sahara issue, Macron strongly emphasized that “for France, the present and future of this territory lie within the framework of Moroccan sovereignty.”
“The Autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty is the framework within which this issue must be resolved. And the 2007 autonomy plan constitutes the only basis for achieving a just, lasting and negotiated political solution in line with the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council,” he stressed.
He added that this position “rooted in history, respectful of realities and promising for the future,” is the one that France will implement to support Morocco in international forums.
The French Head of State also stressed the importance of the Moroccan-French partnership in Africa, underlining the vision of His Majesty King Mohammed VI for the African continent.
“Morocco, by virtue of its geography, its history, its culture and the vision of its Sovereigns, has long affirmed its vocation as a platform, a channel, a singular path”, Macron said, underlining that the Kingdom’s stability, openness and development “are unrivaled assets which we recognize at their true value and which can inspire many joint initiatives.”
Emphasizing the need to establish a new triangular partnership with Africa, the French President listed sectors such as education, agriculture, ecological projects, digital technology and energy where the two countries could take joint action.
“To project our bilateral relation into the future and be able to embrace this ambition and its projects,” Macron said that he had proposed to His Majesty King Mohammed VI that “France and Morocco be linked by a new strategic framework that could be signed 70 years after the Seine-Saint-Cloud agreement, on the occasion of a State visit to France that His Majesty has accepted.”
Turning to the situation in the Middle East, President Macron paid tribute to the action of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, Chairman of the Al-Quds Committee, and to His personal investment in providing urgent humanitarian aid to the Palestinian and Lebanese populations.
“I salute His mobilization and that of all Morocco in favor of de-escalation, resumption of dialogue and the relaunch of a credible political process. In the current cacophony, in which extremes on all sides are indulging, Morocco has a strong and singular voice,” he concluded