With this support, Paris "adopts a more decisive position to settle this dispute that has lasted for decades and which shall be resolved for greater prosperity and development in the region," the expert in geopolitics and international relations told MAP.

With this new position, France follows in the footsteps of other countries, such as Spain and the United States, without forgetting the African countries that have opened diplomatic representations in the southern provinces.

"This is therefore a wise change in supporting Rabat's position," he said, stressing the imperative of a definitive settlement to this conflict for sustainable socio-economic development in the region.

In a message addressed to HM King Mohammed VI, French President Emmanuel Macron officially informed the Sovereign that he "considers that the present and future of Western Sahara lie within the framework of Moroccan sovereignty".

Macron also voiced France’s support to the Moroccan autonomy plan as “the only basis to achieve a just, lasting, and negotiated political solution, in accordance with United Nations Security Council resolutions.”