France, Morocco sign €10bn agreement on investment, infrastructure, energy

During President Emmanuel Macron’s state visit to Morocco, he and Moroccan King Mohammed VI signed new deals at the Royal Palace bolstering ties between the two nations.

The agreements, which are worth around €10 billion, cover issues including investment, energy and infrastructure.

According to the agreements, French rail manufacturer Alstom will give up to 18 high-speed train cars to Morocco.

The Moroccan Phosphates Office and Energy company Engie sealed an agreement with potential investments of up to €3.5 billion.

On Tuesday, Macron is set to address parliament.

The visit, which was at the king’s invitation, comes months after President Macron altered France’s longstanding stance and supported Morocco’s autonomy plan for the disputed Western Sahara.

Macron described the plan as the ‘only basis for achieving a just, lasting and negotiated political solution’ to the issue.

The move was welcomed by Rabat, after years of strained relations.

The Western Sahara has been fought over by Morocco and Algeria for nearly five decades.

The territory is controlled for the most part by Morocco, but the Algeria-backed Polisario front also claims the land as its own.

The U.N. states that the Western Sahara is a non-self-governing territory, over which Morocco cannot claim it has sovereignty.

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