In a press release published on the Senate’s website, Larcher, who considers this step as a “long-awaited decisive diplomatic development,” stressed that “it was time to take realities into account and to move away from sterile ambiguity,” noting that “this development is the fruit of a long maturation.”

The French top senator recalled having called, since last March, in a letter to the President of the Republic, for a similar diplomatic initiative, which he considered “imminent,” noting that Macron’s decision is a “further decisive step” towards resolving a dispute that has gone on for too long, undermining the integration of the Maghreb and penalizing its prosperity.

In a message to His Majesty King Mohammed VI, the French President officially informed the Sovereign that “the present and future of the Sahara lie within the framework of Moroccan sovereignty,” according to a statement from the Royal Office.