Emmanuel Dupuy, President of the Institute for Prospective and Security in Europe (IPSE), praised Paris's decision to support Morocco's sovereignty over its Sahara as a "wise" move, pointing out that French President Emmanuel Macron had been slow to adopt this stance after placing his bets on Algeria, whose military regime demands concessions from France without taking any proactive steps itself.
In an interview with La Tribune Afrique, Dupuy referenced "ping-pong diplomacy" that France has long employed in its dealings with Rabat and Algiers. He expressed his discontent, shared by many, when President Macron made a move two years ago, which Dupuy likened to a "diplomatic revolution," by sending seventeen ministers, including Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne, to Algeria with a rosy vision of new contracts and an overly optimistic belief that the two countries would rebuild their relations.
Dupuy considered that the French President finally made a "wise decision" to clarify France's position regarding Morocco's national issue. This stance should have been taken long ago, especially since France had pushed in 2007 for a UN Security Council resolution considering autonomy as the basis for negotiations on this matter.
The strategic expert emphasized that today, after all the developments in the file over the past 17 years, "it has become increasingly clear that autonomy is the most logical basis for any negotiations aimed at resolving the Sahara issue."
He continued: "We must acknowledge that we are witnessing a form of ping-pong diplomacy, which gives the impression that we are siding with one party while distancing ourselves from another, which is harmful. We should have acted as President Jacques Chirac did in 2004 when he visited Algeria while maintaining an exceptional relationship with Morocco. Hence, there is a general sense that the Algerian position was somehow aimed at demanding that France dismantle its relationship with Morocco to improve its relations with Algeria."
Regarding what has changed over the past 20 years, the strategic expert said: "Algeria was not asking France to establish a strategic partnership, which allowed President Chirac to maintain, without doubt, the exceptional and continuous relationship with Morocco. Today, however, Algeria is anticipating, and the Algerian military regime, led by General Saïd Chengriha, Chief of Staff, insists that France take a step in its favor without making a reciprocal move, which is concerning."
