DR ‹ › On Thursday, January 29, in Rabat, Head of Government Aziz Akhannouch received the President of the French National Assembly, Yaël Braun-Pivet, and the President of the French Senate, Gérard Larcher. The two French officials are on an official visit to Morocco, leading a joint parliamentary delegation to take part in the fifth session of the Moroccan-French Parliamentary Forum, held in Rabat on January 29 and 30. The visit aims to strengthen cooperation between the legislative institutions of both countries and further consolidate bilateral friendship and cooperation. According to a statement from the Prime Minister's Office, the meeting was attended by the Minister of Equipment and Water, Nizar Baraka; the Minister of Youth, Culture, and Communication, Mohamed Mehdi Bensaid; and the Minister Delegate in charge of Relations with Parliament and Government Spokesperson, Mustapha Baitas, as well as the French Ambassador to Morocco, Christophe Lecourtier. At the outset of the meeting, both sides praised the deep-rooted and longstanding friendship between the Kingdom of Morocco and the French Republic. They noted that this relationship reached a major milestone in October 2024 with the signing of the Exceptional Close Partnership declaration by King Mohammed VI and Emmanuel Macron, alongside the signing of investment agreements worth €10 billion covering several strategic sectors. During the discussions, Akhannouch underscored that France's recognition of Morocco's sovereignty over the Sahara, coupled with the continued visits of French officials to the Kingdom's southern provinces, reflects France's clear support for the autonomy initiative as the sole basis for resolving the regional dispute within the framework of Morocco's territorial integrity. He added that this position opens new prospects for cooperation and coordination on regional and international issues, while further strengthening the economic partnership between the two countries.
