French President Emmanuel Macron renewed France’s support for Morocco’s sovereignty over the disputed Western Sahara on Tuesday.
Speaking to Morocco’s parliament in Rabat on the second day of his state visit, Macron pledged French investment in the territory, which is largely controlled by Morocco.
Deals involving Western Sahara have been a contentious issue for European governments. In October, the EU’s top court upheld the cancellation of trade agreements that allowed Morocco to export Sahrawi products to the 27-nation bloc.
“French companies will support the development of Western Sahara,” said Macron. “Its present and future belong under Moroccan sovereignty.”
Macron’s comments followed the signing of several energy and infrastructure agreements between the two countries, worth an estimated €10 billion.
Disputed Territory
The Polisario Front, backed by Algeria, has campaigned for the independence of Western Sahara since before Spanish forces withdrew from the former colony in 1975.
The United Nations considers Western Sahara a “non-self-governing territory” and has maintained a peacekeeping mission there since 1991, with the aim of organising a referendum on the territory’s future. However, Morocco has consistently rejected any referendum that includes the option of independence.
France’s position on the issue has been ambiguous in recent years, which, in addition to Macron’s efforts to improve relations with Algeria, has strained ties between Morocco and France.
Ties
The two governments have also clashed over other matters, including migration. In 2021, France reduced the number of visas issued to Moroccans by half.
However, Macron began to ease tensions in July when he stated that Morocco’s autonomy plan for the territory under its sovereignty was the only viable basis for resolving the conflict.
France’s shift in stance had been eagerly anticipated by Morocco. In 2020, the United States recognised Morocco’s annexation of Western Sahara in exchange for Morocco normalising relations with Israel.
But this position has come at a cost. Following Macron’s endorsement of Morocco’s autonomy plan, Algeria withdrew its ambassador to Paris and has yet to appoint a replacement.
Additionally, a planned state visit to Paris by Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune was cancelled earlier this month after several attempts to reschedule.
