The head of French diplomacy, Stéphane Séjourné, reiterated on Monday Paris'
“clear and constant”
support for the Moroccan autonomy plan for Western Sahara, assuring that it wanted to progress on this issue, during a trip to Rabat intended to relaunch the bilateral relationship after a cold spell.
“It is an existential issue for Morocco. We know it”
declared Séjourné during a press conference alongside his Moroccan counterpart, Nasser Bourita.
“
Morocco
can count on the clear and constant support of France”
for its autonomy plan, he added.
“We have said it and I say it again today perhaps with greater force: it is now time to move forward.
I will personally see to it,”
he said.
“Open a new chapter”
Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony, is controlled mainly by Morocco but claimed by the Sahrawi separatists of the Polisario Front, supported by Algeria.
The UN considers it a
“non-self-governing territory”
.
Questioned by journalists, the French minister said he wanted to
“support the development”
of this region,
“in support of Moroccan efforts”
.
“Morocco has invested a lot in development projects for the benefit of local populations and in terms of training, renewable energies, tourism, blue economy linked to aquatic resources
,” he declared.
Séjourné's visit, which comes after a series of diplomatic crises between Paris and Rabat, aimed to “open a new chapter” in their relations, according to a diplomatic source.
The head of French diplomacy proposed on Monday an
“avant-garde”
partnership for the next 30 years with Morocco, to focus in particular on renewable energies, training and
“the development of new innovative industrial ecosystems”
.
“France is a distinguished partner of Morocco on the political, economic and humanitarian levels
,” noted the head of Moroccan diplomacy, Nasser Bourita.