Morocco’s Ambassador to France, Samira Sehtail, confirmed last Thursday in Paris that Morocco is today emerging as a “self-standing strategic power.”
Sehtail made her remarks during the opening of the 20th Conference of African Ambassadors in Paris, held under the theme “The Kingdom of Morocco: The Rise of a Strategic State.” She noted, “As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Green March and the decades since independence, Morocco clearly shows its destiny as a strategic state, master of its choices, faithful to its principles, and capable, in a turbulent world, of distinguishing threats without ever abandoning opportunities.”
During the conference, which commemorated the 50th anniversary of the Green March and the 70th anniversary of the Kingdom’s independence, attended by African diplomats, entrepreneurs, and academic experts, the diplomat emphasized that the developments characterizing the end of this year, particularly the historic decision by the United Nations Security Council regarding Moroccan Sahara, “constitute a bright evidence” of “a state that does not submit to the course of history, but intends to contribute to its making.”
Sehtail highlighted the significant progress made by Morocco under the leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, affirming that the Kingdom “advances steadily and without arrogance, as a country that believes in progress, human dignity, and dialogue among nations, a country that remains true to itself and rejects the despair that pervades our times.”
She underscored “the Kingdom’s steadfast commitment to its territorial unity, national unity, and the integrity of its territories, and to that collective momentum that has propelled Morocco, since the dawn of independence, toward what it has always wanted to be: a stable, open, and proud nation.”
Sehtail stressed that the Kingdom’s strategy “is not a strategy of survival, but a strategy of revival,” referring to Morocco’s African policy and its ambition to “elevate part of the continent to a higher level, attract those who place their trust in it, and build sincere and lasting alliances that do not stem from narrow political calculations, but from a pressing vision for shared development.”
According to the diplomat, Morocco’s development begins with developing Africa, based on the conviction that “national destiny is inseparable from continental destiny.”
She added, “In this spirit, His Majesty the King desired Atlantic openness and made this Atlantic façade we possess a space for common prosperity, security, and connectivity—a space where Africa can speak to the world with one confident voice, free from guardianship and dependency.”
For his part, Alfred Menou, founding director of Africa Press Paris and the event’s creator, stated that the 20th session of the Paris Ambassadors Conference is dedicated to “the resounding diplomatic success of Morocco,” which began with the Green March on November 6, 1975, and culminated in late October with the historic decision by the United Nations Security Council regarding Moroccan Sahara.
Menou told the Maghreb Arabe Presse agency that “the current discussion about a strategic state stems from the fact that Morocco, since the accession of His Majesty King Mohammed VI to the throne—and before him, the late Sovereign King Hassan II, the inspiration and architect of the Green March—has been able to evolve with remarkable strategic intelligence and a clear vision for the future.”
He clarified that the Kingdom has succeeded in creating promising sectors, such as aviation and the automotive industry—which today has become Morocco’s leading export sector—and has made significant progress in family law while witnessing major successes including the Tangier Med Port, which is now one of Africa’s most important ports.
This meeting provided an opportunity to present the economic, geopolitical, and social progress made by Morocco, featuring testimonies that highlighted the Kingdom’s success stories, including its innovative and emerging businesses that are shining at national, continental, and international levels.
In this context, Abdu Diop, partner director at Mazars international office in Morocco and chairman of the Africa Committee at the General Confederation of Moroccan Enterprises, emphasized the significance of this seminar as an opportunity to reflect on Morocco’s strategic vision and the dynamics of its economic, geopolitical, and social development.
He stressed the crucial role of the Moroccan private sector in this journey.
In a statement to the Maghreb Arabe Presse agency, he remarked, “It was necessary to discuss the various milestones that transformed a country like Morocco, which 25 years ago had very few active companies at the continental level, into the second largest investor in Africa today.”
He affirmed that this transformation is the result of a coherent strategic vision, characterized in particular by aligning sectoral strategies, highlighting that establishing strong businesses in the Moroccan market, particularly in stimulating sectors such as telecommunications, has laid the necessary foundations for gradual international expansion.
Abdel Malek Alaoui, president of the Moroccan Institute for Strategic Intelligence, highlighted during the meeting his vision of the concept of “strategic state” through a retrospective reading of several achievements that have marked Morocco’s contemporary history, emphasizing the validity of the long-term royal vision that has been manifested through major transformations that have made Morocco a development model at all levels.
