Morocco’s Speaker of the Lower House, Rachid Talbi Alami, highlighted the state visit of France’s President Emmanuel Macron at the invitation of King Mohammed VI this week as a “symbol of the historical relations and steadfast” friendship between the two countries on Tuesday in Rabat, Morocco’s News Agency (MAP) reported.
In an address to the joint session of Parliament, Alami described Macron’s three-day visit as a “gesture that signifies our shared values of democracy, human rights, political pluralism, party diversity, and a rule of law grounded in institutions arising from free elections.”
Alami also reiterated King Mohammed VI’s message, which was delivered on October 11 during the opening of the current legislative session, where he expressed his gratitude to France for its express support for Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara and its endorsement of the Kingdom’s autonomy plan.
The monumental shift in Morocco-France relations happened this year on July 30, the 25th anniversary of King Mohamed VI’s accession to the throne, when Macron reaffirmed France’s “unwavering position” on the Sahara, an “issue of national security for the Kingdom.” Macron said that France will act “in accordance with this position both nationally and internationally.”