Strengthening Franco-Moroccan Relations Through a New Agreement
France and Morocco are preparing to sign a significant bilateral agreement that may take place during King Mohammed VI's visit to Paris, tentatively scheduled for the third week of January 2027, as proposed by the Élysée Palace. While a definitive date has yet to be confirmed, the nearly finalized agreement aims to establish a new institutional framework for the intensifying relations between Paris and Rabat that have re-emerged since 2024. According to reports from La Tribune Dimanche, which cites diplomatic sources, the committees responsible for the agreement last convened on September 21, and the text of the contract is now almost complete.
This forthcoming agreement is modeled after the Quirinal Treaty established between France and Italy, and if finalized, it would mark the first such treaty that France has signed with a nation outside Europe. The anticipated visit of King Mohammed VI to France has faced multiple postponements. In May, Morocco's Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita confirmed that the visit was planned but did not specify a date. Initially, Paris expected the visit to occur in the fall of 2026; however, indications of a shift to early 2027 emerged by July.
According to Le Monde, the ongoing drafting of the new treaty has contributed to these delays, alongside the Moroccan parliamentary elections held at the end of September and the French presidential elections scheduled for April 2027. King Mohammed VI had previously accepted an invitation to visit France during President Emmanuel Macron's state visit to Morocco in October 2024, marking a thaw in relations after years of diplomatic tension between the two nations.
The planned agreement seeks to establish a more structured long-term collaboration between Paris and Rabat. Following the example of the Quirinal Treaty signed in 2021, this agreement would facilitate regular political coordination and institutionalized cooperation between the governments of both countries. The Franco-Moroccan rapprochement gained significant momentum in 2024 when France revised its position on the Western Sahara conflict, declaring that the present and future of Western Sahara lie within the framework of Moroccan sovereignty. During President Macron's state visit, both nations also agreed on numerous collaborations in sectors such as energy, infrastructure, transportation, education, and investments.
If the January visit proceeds as planned, it will be King Mohammed VI's first official visit to France since the nations began to reconcile. According to La Tribune Dimanche, the specific dates are expected to be finalized in the coming weeks between Paris and Rabat.
As reported by fokus-afrika.de.
