Moroccan Sahara: Royal Speech Puts French Support on ‘Proactive Footing’ – French Expert

The Speech delivered by HM King Mohammed VI at the opening of the new legislative year, puts the French support on a “proactive footing,” further strengthening the international momentum in support of Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara, stressed the President of the Institute for European Perspective and Security Studies (IPSE), Emmanuel Dupuy. “The situation has changed. We’re no longer reactive. We’re proactive,” noted Dupuy, a lecturer in geopolitics at the University of Lille, adding that this footing is based on the principle that the Sahara issue “is and remains the first national cause” and that “it is through this prism that any position with regard to Morocco must be taken.” In this context, Dupuy underlined the success of Moroccan diplomacy, which has favored the current international dynamic, marked by a growing number of countries supporting Morocco’s sovereignty over its Sahara, several of which have opened diplomatic representations in Dakhla and Laayoune. For the French geopolitical scientist, this “360-degree” (African, Middle Eastern, American, Latin American, European and, increasingly, East European dynamic is pushed forward by HM the King’s emphasis on strengthening coordination and mutually beneficial cooperation, by equating official and complementary diplomacy.