French official television channels have started adopting Morocco’s full and undivided map, which includes the country’s southern provinces in Western Sahara.
France 5, a public television channel, broadcasted last week a complete map of Morocco, including its southern provinces.
This shift comes a week after France announced its decision to recognize Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara.
A statement from the royal cabinet last week stressed that French President Emmanuel Macron announced his country's new position on the Sahara.
In the message, Macron stressed that “the present and future of Western Saharalie within the framework of Moroccan sovereignty.”
Macron emphasized that France will support the autonomy initiative as a definitive framework for resolving the territorial dispute.
Morocco expressed satisfaction with France’s new “strong” and “clear position,” stressing that the move will further boost bilateral ties between Paris and Rabat.
"I am particularly pleased with the clear and strong position adopted by France, in Your Message, on the Moroccan Sahara issue," King Mohammed VI said last week, noting that the European country’s new position contributes to strengthening the international momentum that many countries are already supporting.
The official channels’ adoption of the full Moroccan map is part of formalizing and aligning with the new French position on the regional dispute.
This mirrors what happened after the US decision in December 2020 to recognize Morocco’s sovereignty over its southern provinces in Western Sahara.
Following that recognition, many US publicly owned websites, including the State Department, adopted a full map of Morocco.
Similarly, websites such as those of the CIA and NASA also adopted a full map of the country.