French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu is set to embark on his inaugural foreign trip to Morocco on Tuesday, a significant move aimed at solidifying the diplomatic relationship between France and Morocco. The visit, scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, comes with the anticipation of a potential visit from King Mohammed VI to Paris, highlighting the strengthening bilateral ties.
Accompanied by a delegation of approximately twelve ministers, including Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Noël Barrot and Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez, Lecornu will engage in high-level discussions with Moroccan Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch. This meeting marks the first significant interaction between the two governments since 2019, underscoring the renewed interest in fostering cooperation.
Relations between France and Morocco have been on an upward trajectory since President Emmanuel Macron's recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over the disputed Western Sahara territory in the summer of 2024, a move that drew ire from Algeria. Following this, Macron received a grand welcome during a three-day state visit to Rabat in October of the same year, a visit that effectively ended three years of diplomatic tensions characterized by espionage allegations and visa crises. The culmination of that visit saw the signing of numerous contracts, paving the way for deeper collaboration.
As noted by Hasni Abidi, director at the Geneva-based Center for Studies and Research on the Arab and Mediterranean World (Cermam), "The relations are now excellent, and it's time to reap the benefits." Morocco has emerged as a focal point of French diplomatic efforts in the Maghreb, with Paris no longer striving to maintain a delicate balance with Algeria, whose relationship with France remains problematic.
This marks Lecornu's first trip abroad since taking office in the fall of 2025, a tenure that has, until now, been marked by a notable degree of discretion. The visit will begin with an official military welcome, followed by a wreath-laying ceremony at the royal mausoleum, and conclude with a bilateral meeting. Subsequent discussions will take place at the Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where several agreements are expected to be signed, aimed at deepening cooperation in economic, security, migration, and defense sectors.
With the ongoing challenges posed by Algeria, Macron, nearing the end of his term, is keen to avoid a diplomatic failure in the Maghreb, thus leaning towards strengthening ties with Morocco. Historian Pierre Vermeren suggests that Rabat could serve as an intermediary for Paris, helping to reconnect with various sub-Saharan African nations, especially given their shared interests in combating jihadist threats in the Sahel region.
Moreover, Morocco and France have already resumed cooperation in security, migration, and judicial matters, with discussions anticipated regarding the potential extradition of Franco-Moroccan Ismael Benahmed, who is suspected of a 2019 murder in Paris and was recently captured in Morocco. Rabat has expressed appreciation for French support of its autonomy plan for Western Sahara, which contributed to the adoption of a new UN resolution favoring Morocco in 2025.
As Morocco seeks to enhance its economic landscape following the visa crisis experienced in 2021 and 2022, when France halved visa grants to Moroccans, the prospect of new French investments looms large. The anticipated highlight of this renewed relationship could be a visit from King Mohammed VI to France, accompanied by the signing of a treaty formalizing an exceptional Franco-Moroccan partnership—an event that would mark the first visit of a Moroccan monarch to France since March 2000.
As reported by radiolac.ch.
