A delegation from Morocco’s Upper House of Parliament, led by Mohamed Zidouh, President of the Morocco-France friendship group, held a series of meetings on Wednesday at the French Senate as part of a working visit to France.
President of the French Senate Gérard Larcher; President of the France-Morocco friendship group of the Senate Christian Cambon; and Ambassador of Morocco to France Samira Sitaïl received the Moroccan members of Parliament.
The officials held discussions on various topics of common interest, including the role of parliamentary diplomacy in strengthening relations between Morocco and France, as well as ways to enhance cooperation between the two legislative institutions.
Larcher told MAP that he “will soon visit Morocco upon the invitation of the Speaker of the Upper House to strengthen the relationship between the two parliamentary institutions and to share visions of the future on common interests such as Africa, economic development, and culture.”
Cambon, also a special envoy of the Senate President for international relations, noted that the meeting between Larcher and the Moroccan parliamentary delegation discussed the prospects for cooperation between the two groups.
“This meeting is part of a program kicked off two days ago in Marseille and Toulon, with a visit to Mont Faron to honor the 85,000 Moroccans who volunteered along with France and the 10,000 who gave their lives for the liberation of France and the restoration of its territorial integrity,” Cambon added.
The French official also announced that a group of French senators will soon visit the Southern Provinces of the Kingdom to see the significant development efforts that Morocco is undertaking in the region.
Zidouh highlighted that the Moroccan delegation discussed the Sahara issue with the Senate President during the meeting, asserting the importance of the Moroccan Autonomy Plan as the only solution to the dispute over the southern provinces, where more than twenty countries have opened consulates.
Noting the broad international support for Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara and the Autonomy Plan for these provinces, Zidouh noted that Morocco’s position is strongly supported in the international community.
The Moroccan parliamentary delegation also met with Patricia Mirales, Secretary of State for Veterans Affairs at the Ministry of Defense.
French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin, and Minister of French the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu greeted the members of the Moroccan delegation. The Moroccan officials later participated in a ceremony in memory of the Moroccan troops who fought along with French forces during World War II.
The Moroccan delegation also visited a naval base and French Naval Group’s facilities and a submarine base.