Assahafa.com
The French Alliance of Laayoune, a space dedicated to the learning of the French language, cultural exchange, and the promotion of artistic creation, was inaugurated on Wednesday in the presence of the French Ambassador to Morocco, Philippe Lalliot.
This new institution aims, among other missions, to promote the French language among diverse audiences, develop a high-quality educational and cultural offering, foster intercultural dialogue, and contribute to the cultural influence of the region through a program that embraces exchange and cultural diversity.
In an address delivered on the occasion, French Ambassador to Morocco Philippe Lalliot stated that “the opening of this Alliance forms part of the implementation of the commitments made by French President Emmanuel Macron during his state visit to Morocco in 2024, at the invitation of His Majesty King Mohammed VI.”
Lalliot stressed that this new institution, the Kingdom’s third French Alliance after those in Safi and Ouarzazate, marks a new milestone in strengthening cultural and educational cooperation between the two countries.
According to him, the inauguration provides tangible evidence of the growing ties between Moroccan and French societies, peoples, and youth through education, language, and the arts.
He added that the opening of a French Alliance reflects “the genuine local potential as well as the commitment of local stakeholders to this project.”
The ambassador also highlighted the unique nature of France’s cultural and educational network in Morocco, describing it as having “no real equivalent abroad.”
The network now comprises three French Alliances and twelve French Institutes—”fifteen institutions in total, now covering the Kingdom of Morocco from north to south across its entire territory,” he noted.
He further recalled that the Kingdom has chosen to make the regions of the Moroccan Sahara “a land of opportunity,” where education and culture are at the heart of development priorities.
For her part, the President of the French Alliance of Laayoune, El Alia Bougzaje, said that the inauguration of the institution marks the culmination of a project driven by the conviction that culture, education, and intercultural dialogue are essential drivers of human development and closer ties between peoples.
Bougzaje noted that the opening of the institution carries particular significance for the Kingdom’s Southern Provinces, as it contributes to Laayoune’s cultural influence and promotes both the tangible and intangible heritage, as well as the artistic expressions, of the Moroccan Sahara.
Earlier in the day, Lalliot and the accompanying delegation held talks with the Wali of the Laayoune-Sakia El Hamra Region and Governor of Laayoune Province, the President of the Municipal Council, and the President of the Regional Council.
The discussions focused on the region’s comprehensive development momentum, as well as on strengthening cultural and educational cooperation in the Kingdom’s Southern Provinces.
They also visited several major projects and facilities in the region, including the City of Trades and Skills (CMC), the University Hospital Center (CHU), and the Grand Media Library (Grande Médiathèque).
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