Latest news with #France-Morocco
Morocco World
12-06-2025
- Business
- Morocco World
Sahara: French Senate Affirms Support for Moroccan Sovereignty in Rabat Talks
Doha – French Senator Christian Cambon reaffirmed his country's firm support for Morocco's sovereignty over its southern provinces during a meeting on Thursday in Rabat with Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita. The visit marked a continuation of high-level exchanges between the two nations, following French President Emmanuel Macron's state visit to Morocco in October 2024. Cambon, who heads the France-Morocco friendship group in the Senate, led a delegation described as 'important' and 'diverse,' with members from different political backgrounds. He stressed the 'longstanding' and 'fruitful' dialogue between the two countries, noting the group's 'unwavering support' for Morocco's position on the Western Sahara dispute. 'The 2024–2025 period was marked by many positive developments,' Cambon said after the meeting. He pointed to Macron's visit as a milestone where France declared its support for Morocco's territorial integrity. Cambon said the delegation's visit aimed to contribute to writing 'a new chapter' in Moroccan-French relations, as envisioned by King Mohammed VI and President Macron. He also called for the reactivation of the Morocco-France interparliamentary forum, last held in Paris in December 2019, to boost bilateral cooperation on legislative affairs. The French lawmaker cited several areas of joint interest, including the expansion of Morocco's high-speed rail line, the construction of Africa's largest seawater desalination plant near Rabat, and the agreement between Royal Air Maroc and Airbus to expand the national airline's fleet. On renewable energy, Cambon framed Morocco's experience and model as 'inspiring,' saying both countries can cooperate on shaping a joint vision for Africa's energy future. His statements come just months after a high-profile visit by French Senate President Gérard Larcher, who in February became one of the highest-ranking French officials to visit Laayoune. Speaking after a morning meeting with Bourita in Rabat, Larcher said Paris' position on the Sahara is 'non-discutable' and made clear that the French-Moroccan relationship is built on 'a deep history and friendship.' Later that evening in the southern Moroccan city, he labeled Morocco's southern provinces as 'a success model for the entire Sahelo-Saharan zone.' He credited the French Senate with pushing for clarity on the issue since 2007 and asserted that support for Morocco's autonomy plan is now 'acquired.' For him, France's new perspective on the Western Sahara dispute and the evolution of the French position is 'an obvious fact, a primary truth.' 'This obvious fact has undergone a long maturation process,' he said. 'France's support is not the result of a governmental policy—it is the position of all institutions of the Republic.' He described Morocco's development efforts in Laâyoune as remarkable, pointing to infrastructure, social investments, and sustainable development projects. He also expressed France's willingness to share its experience in decentralization and strengthen cooperation at the local level. Algeria reacted with anger to Larcher's visit. Days after his trip, Algeria's Council of the Nation, the country's upper house of parliament, announced it was suspending ties with the French Senate. The Algerian government had already condemned France's July 2024 recognition of Moroccan sovereignty and recalled its ambassador in protest. Algeria also criticized the February visit by French Culture Minister Rachida Dati to Laayoune and Dakhla—another first for a high-level French government official. Tags: French Senate Morocco visitMorocco France RelationsWestern sahara
Morocco World
22-02-2025
- Business
- Morocco World
What's on Gérard Larcher's Agenda for His 3-Day Morocco Visit?
Doha – The French Senate confirmed in a press release yesterday what Moroccan newspapers have been reporting over the past few days about Senate President Gérard Larcher's upcoming official visit to Morocco on February 23-26. This visit comes at a time when Franco-Moroccan relations are witnessing unprecedented momentum, especially this month. The period has seen Culture Minister Rachida Dati complete a two-day visit earlier this week where she signed ten cultural cooperation agreements and visited Rabat, Tarfaya, Laayoune, and Dakhla. Elsewhere, Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch today inaugurated Morocco's 476-square-meter pavilion as the first foreign guest of honor at the Paris International Agricultural Show. Larcher will be accompanied by a high-level delegation including Christian Cambon, President of the France-Morocco friendship group, Cédric Perrin, President of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Hervé Marseille and Corinne Féret, both Vice-presidents of the France-Morocco friendship group. The detailed program begins Sunday afternoon with Larcher's arrival at Rabat-Salé airport, where he will be welcomed by Mohamed Ould Errachid, President of the Chamber of Counselors. Read also: Morocco, France Strengthen Parliamentary Cooperation with New Agreement The evening includes a meeting with representatives of the French community in Morocco. Monday's agenda starts at 9:30 a.m. with a ceremony at the Mohammed V Mausoleum, followed by a series of high-level meetings with Moroccan officials, including the President of the Chamber of Counselors, the Vice-president of the House of Representatives, Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita, and Head of Government Aziz Akhannouch. The day will conclude with a meeting with Khalihenna Ould Errachid, President of the Royal Advisory Council for Saharan Affairs, followed by an evening reception in Laayoune. The highlight of the visit comes on Tuesday, February 25, when Larcher will travel to the Laayoune-Sakia El Hamra region, marking a further confirmation of France's new position regarding Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara. The Senate President will meet with local authorities and visit several socio-economic projects, including the new University Hospital Center and other infrastructure developments in the region. The visit, organized at the invitation of Chamber of Counselors President Mohamed Ould Errachid, aims to strengthen interparliamentary cooperation and friendship ties between France and Morocco, according to the Senate's press release.
Ya Biladi
30-01-2025
- Politics
- Ya Biladi
RN appoints unfriendly president of France-Morocco friendship group
«The Rassemblement National doesn't give a damn about Morocco», burst a member of the French left last December, when we revealed the Macronist MPs' gift of the presidency of the France-Morocco friendship group to the RN. At the time, sources within the National Assembly mentioned the names of Marine Le Pen (who dreams of being received by the King of Morocco like her late father) and Sébastien Chenu. The presidency of the France-Morocco Friendship Group is highly sought-after and could have served to boost the international image of an RN MP. But while RN was keen to hold on to this friendship group despite the adverse reactions our revelations caused in Paris and Rabat, it clearly has little respect for Morocco. The recent appointment of Hélène Laporte as president of the friendship group is proof of this. The MP for the 2nd constituency of Lot-et-Garonne has little regard for the Kingdom and French-Moroccans. ???? Très honorée d'avoir été nommée Présidente du groupe d'amitié France-Maroc à l'Assemblée nationale et de participer au renforcement de nos liens avec les membres de la Chambre des Représentants marocaine. — Hélène Laporte (@HeleneLaporteRN) January 29, 2025 The former wealth management consultant risks demolishing the entire edifice of parliamentary diplomacy between the two countries, slowly built up by her predecessors and encouraged by President Macron during his official visit at the end of October 2024. In December 2022, having just been elected to the National Assembly a few months earlier, she criticized the Moroccan supporters who had come out to celebrate the magnificent victory of Morocco's national team over Spain. «In Lille, Nice, and Amiens, the situation is degenerating, giving way to scenes of urban guerrilla warfare over a simple Moroccan football victory... Any pretext is good enough to sow disorder. The feeling of impunity is total!» An unfriendly president for the friendship group But it's not just the noisy Moroccan supporters that irritate the far-right politician. Her other obsession is Moroccan tomatoes. On March 12, 2024, she criticized the«unfair competition» from Moroccan tomato exporters, who benefit from the agricultural agreement with the EU. She demanded that the French Minister of Agriculture renegotiate this agreement with Brussels to re-evaluate customs duties to the detriment of Moroccan farmers. More recently, on January 15, 2025, just as the France-Morocco friendship group had officially been assigned to the RN, the MP, not yet president of the group, again called for a review of «the agreement linking us to Morocco, which provides for exemptions from customs duties on tomato imports, including during the summer season». ? Bonjour @AnnieGenevard, profitez de votre visite au #Maroc avec Monsieur Macron pour mettre fin à l'accord commercial visant à exonérer de droits de douane la tomate marocaine et qui place nos agriculteurs ?? dans une situation de concurrence déloyale invivable depuis 2012 ! — Hélène Laporte (@HeleneLaporteRN) October 30, 2024 You can't blame an MP from Lot-et-Garonne for defending the Marmande tomato and the farmers in her constituency, especially as Ms. Laporte is close to the Confédération rurale, the farmers' union close to the RN. Nor did her agricultural activism spare the Kingdom's cucumbers. Her perseverance in attacking Morocco and Moroccans makes her a strange president of the France-Morocco friendship group. How could the RN have made such a gross casting error, risking the ire of Rabat? Especially as the Morocco-EU agricultural agreement is a sensitive issue for the Moroccan government. What, then, can be expected of a president who has never spoken out on the Western Sahara issue, unlike other elected members of the RN, as well as the former president of the France-Morocco friendship group, Karim Ben Cheikh? ? Retrouvez ma question écrite à la Commission européenne sur les fonds débloqués pour le Maroc. Pour le @GroupeID_FR, on est CONTRE ! — Hélène Laporte (@HeleneLaporteRN) April 30, 2020 The new president will have to multiply efforts to reassure her Moroccan counterparts and put her anti-Moroccan media outbursts and amendments hostile to Moroccan interests behind her.
Morocco World
30-01-2025
- Politics
- Morocco World
RN's Hélène Laporte Heads France-Morocco Group Despite Past Anti-Trade Stance
Doha - Rassemblement National (RN) deputy H\u00e9l\u00e8ne Laporte has been appointed as president of the France-Morocco parliamentary friendship group at the French National Assembly, despite her previous criticism of Franco-Moroccan trade agreements.<\><\> The RN first secured the group\u2019s presidency on January 13 through a rotating selection method known as \u201ctourniquet,\u201d which allows parliamentary groups to choose disputed presidencies by order of size.<\><\> After weeks of internal deliberations, Laporte\u2019s leadership was officially <\> confirmed<\><\> on January 29.<\><\> The far-right party, which holds 124 seats out of 577 in the National Assembly, making it France\u2019s largest opposition group, immediately selected the Morocco group when given first choice among disputed presidencies.<\><\> \u201cVery honored to have been named President of the France-Morocco friendship group at the National Assembly and to participate in strengthening our ties with members of the Moroccan House of Representatives,\u201d Laporte <\> announced<\><\> on X.<\><\>\>\> \>\> \> \>\> \>\> \>\> \> \>\> \>\> Click allow to get notifications on every article we post.
