France’s new ambassador in Rabat champions a ‘franco-moroccan method’
France’s new ambassador in Rabat champions a ‘franco-moroccan method’
A day after presenting his credentials, Philippe Lalliot chose the Paris Peace Forum spring meeting at UM6P for his first public address. Before a diplomatic audience, he linked defense of international law, water cooperation, and preparation for upcoming bilateral milestones tied to a nearly 350-million-euro program.
Confronted by the entrenchment of crises and shockwaves that spare no nation today, Philippe Lalliot clarified the relevance of multilateral rules. “International law is not dead. Its founding principles are just. It must be defended on principle, because it is precisely the shield of those who have none,” he stated, stressing its nature as a common good.
For the diplomat, international law remains “the condition for peace, stability, and security for the greatest number.”
“We are here in the right place, at the right time, and in good company to reflect precisely on the ways and means by which we can together ensure that these great upheavals, these transitions, become the subject of concrete, realistic, and adapted solutions,” he said, advocating to “transform our hopes and ambitions into projects and actions.”
The ambassador highlighted that reflection on major global imbalances and defining solutions to them are “at the heart of the exceptional partnership that unites France and Morocco.”
For Philippe Lalliot, this “franco-moroccan method” is meant to inspire others. “I am convinced that our two countries, through their shared history, but also through the common vision they have of these challenges and the future, have the responsibility to lead by example,” he affirmed, believing that this responsibility consists of bringing people together broadly, especially on the eve of important bilateral or multilateral deadlines.
He illustrated his point with the first project concretized upon taking office. “The day before yesterday, alongside the Moroccan Minister of Equipment and Water, and my German, Italian, and European counterparts, we launched a vast program of nearly 350 million euros to support Morocco’s national strategy for water management.”
Strategic for Morocco’s water sovereignty, this project aims for better knowledge of water resources, particularly groundwater, coordinated management of climate-related water phenomena, especially floods, as well as other initiatives like wastewater reuse.
As debates conclude in Rabat on energy and food security—topics that will be central to the G7 in Évian from June 15 to 17—France and Morocco are preparing a new cooperation framework whose materialization is imminent.
