Following talks in Essaouira between Nasser Bourita and Jean-Noël Barrot, France has confirmed its full support for the Kingdom’s sovereignty.
Diplomatic convergence between Rabat and Paris has reached a new stage of institutional consolidation on strategic regional issues. On Friday 13 November 2026, following a bilateral meeting held in Essaouira between the Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans Abroad, Nasser Bourita, and his French counterpart, Jean-Noël Barrot, the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs strongly reaffirmed France’s ‘non-negotiable’ position that the present and future of the Sahara lie within the framework of Moroccan sovereignty. In its official statement, the French Foreign Ministry emphasised that the autonomy plan presented by Morocco in 2007 now constitutes the sole basis for reaching a just, lasting and negotiated political solution. The French Foreign Minister also reiterated his support for the efforts being made under the auspices of the United Nations in accordance with Resolution 2797, adopted by the Security Council in October 2025, which had placed the national initiative at the heart of the UN process, thereby confirming France’s unwavering commitment to the Kingdom on the issue of its territorial integrity.
Towards the conclusion of a landmark bilateral treaty
Beyond the national issue, this meeting in the city of the trade winds enabled the two leaders to conduct an in-depth review of the exceptional and strengthened partnership between the two countries, nearly two years after the French Preside’nt’s state visit to the Kingdom at the invitation of His Majesty King Mohammed VI. The two ministers welcomed a particularly fruitful bilateral dynamic across a range of strategic sectors and expressed their satisfaction at the imminent prospect of concluding a Franco-Moroccan bilateral treaty designed to consolidate this framework for cooperation. Discussions also covered security and diplomatic issues in the Near and Middle East as well as in the Sahel region, with Jean-Noël Barrot reaffirming Paris’s commitment to ensuring that Franco-Moroccan dialogue serves the purposes of mediation and the sustainable resolution of regional crises.
Implications for economic cooperation and regional investment
The clarity and sustainability of this political alignment create a particularly favourable environment for the intensification of economic exchanges and joint investment, particularly in the southern provinces. This diplomatic visibility encourages the participation of French businesses and financial institutions in major infrastructure, renewable energy, water desalination and vocational training projects being rolled out across the whole of the country. By consolidating a partnership based on mutual trust and shared interests, the two countries are strengthening Euro-African economic integration and fostering the emergence of new centres of growth and skilled employment for the benefit of local communities.
