RABAT: France and Morocco called for expressions of interest on ​Thursday in ⁠an electricity interconnection project linking the two countries as ‌part of broader efforts to strengthen energy ties between Europe and North Africa, ​French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said.

The project was one of "ambitious ​economic projects that create ​new synergies between our companies and allow us to further integrate Morocco and France into shared ⁠value chains," Lecornu told reporters at the end of a Franco-Moroccan high-level meeting in Rabat.

The project aims to identify commercially viable ways to export renewable electricity from Morocco to France, ​a French briefing ‌document seen by ⁠Reuters said.

The ⁠two countries also signed cooperation deals covering finance, civil aviation, education, ​culture and diplomacy.

The meeting was part ‌of preparations for a bilateral treaty that ⁠Lecornu said would be the first such agreement signed by France with a country outside the European Union.

The treaty will be signed during an upcoming visit to France by King Mohammed VI, whose timing has not been disclosed.

Relations between the two countries have improved since Paris recognised Rabat's sovereignty over the disputed Western Sahara territory in ‌2024.

"I reaffirm here that this position is ⁠unwavering. It will not change," Lecornu said.

Security ​cooperation with Morocco led to "unprecedented operational successes" in recent weeks in battling organised crime and drug trafficking, he said. He also ​said that ‌the two countries were preparing a comprehensive security ⁠agreement. (Reporting by Ahmed El ​Jechtimi. Editing by Mark Potter and Tomasz Janowski)