French official affirms support for Morocco's Western Sahara plan

The Speaker of the French Senate made an official visit to Laayoune, the largest city in Western Sahara, on Tuesday, as part of his visit to Morocco, affirming France’s support for the Moroccan autonomy initiative as a solution to the regional conflict over the territory.

Local sources reported that Gerard Larcher was received in Laayoune at an official level and held meetings with a number of officials, including the Governor of Laayoune province, Abdeslam Bekrate, and the President of the Regional Council, Sidi Hamdi Ould Errachid. Their discussions addressed the major development projects witnessed by the region, and ways to enhance Moroccan-French cooperation in various fields, especially on the economic and cultural levels.

“The present and future of the [Western] Sahara can only be envisaged within the framework of Moroccan sovereignty,” said Larcher. France’s position on the issue is a strategic choice adopted by the entire French state, he explained. He also announced France’s intention to strengthen its consular presence in the southern provinces, in a move that reflects the will to enhance its relations with Morocco on deeper and more sustainable foundations.

Ould Errachid stressed that the relationship between the Moroccan and French parliaments remains strong. He praised the role of parliamentary diplomacy in promoting mutual understanding and defending Morocco’s just causes at the international level. He told his French counterpart that, “You are on ancestral Moroccan land.”

Observers say that this visit is an important turning point in the French position on the Sahara issue, especially since it comes after President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Morocco in July 2024, during which he affirmed his support for the autonomy initiative under Moroccan sovereignty.

Morocco welcomed the visit as explicit support for its national sovereignty and a strengthening of the strategic partnership between the two countries, but it sparked mixed regional reactions. Algeria was critical and said that the visit was a “diplomatic escalation.”

Larcher’s visit included the laying of the cornerstone for the French school in Laayoune, which aims to provide high-quality education and promote cultural exchange between the two countries. He also visited the French Cultural Association in the city, where he reiterated the importance of cultural cooperation as a main pillar of bilateral relations.

This French interest in developing the cultural and educational presence in Laayoune comes as an extension of the efforts that started with the visit of the French Minister of Culture, Rachida Dati, to the city earlier this month, when she announced joint cultural projects aimed at strengthening cultural dialogue and rapprochement between the Moroccan and French people. She also stressed that France is aware of the strategic importance of the southern regions in the Moroccan cultural fabric, which is reflected in the intensification of joint cultural initiatives between the two countries.

Larcher’s visit to Morocco marks a new phase in bilateral relations between Rabat and Paris and reflects the two countries’ will to strengthen the strategic partnership at all levels. It is also an additional step towards solidifying international recognition of Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara and supporting Moroccan efforts to resolve the regional conflict within the framework of the autonomy proposal.

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