Here follows a statement by the Royal Office:

The Moroccan Sahara issue is no longer on the agenda at the African Union, as the 37th Summit of Heads of State and Government, the supreme body of the pan-African institution, made no reference or quotation on the national question, said Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates, Nasser Bourita.

France's ambassador to Morocco, Christophe Lecourtier, said on Friday in Casablanca that it would be "illusory and disrespectful" to believe that "we could build" a future together with Morocco without clarifying France's position on the Moroccan Sahara issue.

Morocco's privileged geographical location allows it to be a gateway to Africa for Andean countries and all Latin American countries, Speaker of the Andean Parliament, Cristina Reyes Hidalgo, said Wednesday in Rabat.

The constant and far-sighted Royal Vision placing Africa's noble causes and the vital interests of the African citizen in peace, security and development at the center of the pan-African agenda was put forward on Wednesday before the 44th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council of the African Union (AU) in Addis Ababa.