“We want to give particular prominence to innovative areas of cooperation to be explored together, but also to the new geographical horizons opening up to our strengthened cooperation. These new horizons look towards the south,” Larcher stressed at the opening of the Morocco–France Parliamentary Forum, attended by officials and members of the parliaments of both countries.
The new horizons of the Franco-Moroccan relationship have many faces, all marked by trust and friendship, he noted, adding that there are several axes of cooperation to be jointly explored.
The first axis concerns the establishment of a new bilateral treaty with a substantial parliamentary component, Larcher said, explaining that seventy years after the La Celle-Saint-Cloud Declaration, France and Morocco have the opportunity to engrave, in the framework of a new treaty, the achievements of their reinforced exceptional partnership.
“The full significance of this must be measured. France has concluded such treaties with only a few European countries. To date, it has none with a country on the southern shore of the Mediterranean,” he added.
Regarding the second axis, which focuses on decentralization and decentralized cooperation in support of Morocco’s regionalization process, the Senate President indicated that regionalization is a step on the path toward genuine autonomy proposed by Morocco for its southern provinces, considering that “decentralization has a virtue: it enshrines, in their diversity, the unity and indivisibility of our territories, which are so dear to Morocco and France.”
On this occasion, he paid tribute to the historic diplomatic success achieved by the Kingdom under the leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, following the adoption on 31 October 2025 by the United Nations Security Council of Resolution 2797, which consecrated the autonomy plan proposed by Morocco.
He went on to note that France will host, at the end of 2026, the Franco-Moroccan Decentralized Cooperation Conference, an opportunity to broaden the geographical scope of promising cooperation prospects towards the south.
As for the third axis related to parliamentary cooperation, Larcher recalled that the Parliamentary Assembly of La Francophonie, which met in Paris last July, was a moment of shared understanding between France and Morocco around the values of democracy and the French language in a deeply unsettled international context.
“The parliamentarians of our four assemblies can further develop their cooperation with third-party assemblies,” he said, while proposing, in full respect of decision-making autonomy, not an obligation of results but an obligation of consultation and exchanges on sensitive issues.
With regard to the fourth axis linked to the Mediterranean dimension, he recalled that the Moroccan Parliament has played a prominent role in the various Mediterranean parliamentary bodies, some of which it has chaired, noting that these forums still struggle to make their voices heard.
“Thirty years after the launch of the Barcelona Process, let us reflect on the contribution that our four assemblies could jointly make within the Mediterranean framework, in order to overcome the many challenges, particularly migratory ones, that trouble its shores,” he said.
Stressing that France and Morocco are today preparing for new times, Larcher concluded by affirming that nothing can now hold the two countries back from accomplishing great ambitions together.
Editorial team/le7tv