Minister of Foreign Affairs and African Cooperation, Nasser Bourita, held talks on Wednesday, October 22, in Paris with his French counterpart, Jean-Noël Barbier, on the sidelines of the fourth ministerial conference on feminist diplomacy.
A statement from the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs indicated that the ministers discussed various areas experiencing deepening bilateral relations, particularly concerning industrial and strategic partnership, mobility issues, and regional and international cooperation. They emphasized the need to continue the positive dynamics characterizing Moroccan-French relations across multiple domains, within what they referred to as the “enhanced exceptional partnership” announced during the state visit of the French president to Morocco in 2024.
During the meeting, the French minister praised Morocco’s recent accession to the Feminist Foreign Policy + (FFP+) initiative and Bourita’s participation in the ministerial conference dedicated to feminist diplomacy, noting that this step demonstrates Morocco’s commitment to an irreversible path toward gender equality.
For his part, Bourita reaffirmed the Kingdom’s commitment, under the guidance of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, to continue working to promote gender equality not only at the national level but also as a principled choice in its foreign policy. He highlighted that Morocco has become a key player in international discussions surrounding gender issues and sustainable development.
The two ministers also exchanged views on regional and international issues of mutual interest, particularly in the Sahel and the Mediterranean region, and stressed the importance of European-Moroccan and Mediterranean cooperation in service of stability and development on both continents.
In this context, the French minister renewed his country’s full support for Morocco’s autonomy initiative as the only realistic solution to the regional conflict over Western Sahara, stating that “autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty” represents the sole reference framework for any sustainable political solution.
This meeting comes amid efforts to revitalize the positive momentum in Moroccan-French relations, which both sides seek to elevate to a strong partnership based on mutual trust and balanced cooperation in political, economic, cultural, and environmental fields, reflecting the ambitions of both countries to build a shared Mediterranean and African space characterized by peace, development, and prosperity.
