The said Committee, chaired by Christian Cambon, received, on Wednesday, by videoconference from Rabat, Moroccan ambassador to France, Chakib Benmoussa.

On this occasion, it highlighted, in a press release issued at the end of this meeting, "the essential aspect of cooperation with Morocco, a country which stands out for its exemplary stability in a troubled regional zone".

The videoconference with the Moroccan ambassador made it possible to discuss a number of subjects of common interest.

Thus, the committee discussed in particular the recent recognition by the American administration of the sovereignty of Morocco over the Sahara, said a press release from Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee at the Senate, issued at the end of this meeting.

"Ambassador Benmoussa deemed that it (the American recognition) only reinforced the most credible solution for this territory. According to him, a regional autonomy within the framework of Morocco was the only solution considered realistic by the international community, making it possible to ensure the development of this region and the rights of its inhabitants," the statement added.

The Moroccan ambassador recalled the economic investments already made by Morocco, including the 2016 plan totaling 7 billion euros.

"Regarding the resumption of diplomatic relations between Morocco and Israel, Morocco has always supported the principle of the two-state solution for the resolution of the Palestinian question. From Morocco's point of view, the recent developments in relations between Israel and several Arab countries should make it possible to mobilize all the actors in favor of this solution," said the same source.

The exchange with the Moroccan ambassador also allowed to give information about Morocco's actions in the fight against the pandemic, with an accelerating vaccination campaign which should make it possible to vaccinate the entire population of age by the summer, noted the committee.

In addition, several senators of the committee asked the ambassador about the problem of Moroccan unaccompanied minors present in France, to which he answered that Morocco had institutions allowing to take care of them, since their return was made under international conventions on the protection of children, said the same source, adding that the Moroccan diplomat stressed the need to continue to develop a strategy of "controlled migrations" in order to reconcile selected migrations with the fight against illegal immigration.

During this videoconference, the chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Christian CAMBON, recalled "the exceptional French-Moroccan cooperation, particularly within the framework of high-level meetings and the French-Moroccan inter-parliamentary forum", underlined the press release.