French Prime Minister's Official Visit to Morocco
On July 16, during an official visit to Rabat, French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu expressed a desire to elevate the relationship between France and Morocco, aiming to enhance the ties initiated by President Emmanuel Macron and King Mohammed VI, with discussions of a potential royal visit to Paris currently under consideration. The diplomatic relations between France and Morocco have significantly improved since Macron acknowledged Morocco's sovereignty over the disputed territory of Western Sahara in the summer of 2024, a move that incited anger from Algeria.
The strong ties were further solidified when Macron was received with great fanfare in Rabat in October of the same year, effectively ending three years of tensions fueled by espionage allegations and a visa crisis. This visit culminated in numerous contracts and the signing of a "strengthened exceptional partnership." On Thursday, an international media consortium, including Le Monde, Radio France's investigative unit, and Forbidden Stories, released new investigations regarding Morocco's alleged use of the Pegasus spyware, as well as France's assessment of this acquisition.
Although a press conference was initially planned following the meeting between the two leaders, it was ultimately reduced to brief statements to journalists without the opportunity for questions. In 2021, Morocco faced accusations of utilizing Israeli spyware to infiltrate the phones of several national and international figures, including French President Macron and Minister Lecornu. Rabat has consistently denied these "false and unfounded allegations." When queried about the new revelations, the French government's representatives and the Quai d'Orsay refrained from commenting, with the French president's entourage reiterating the goal of strengthening cooperation and trust with Morocco.
Converging Interests and Future Agreements
In a message addressed to President Macron, conveyed by Morocco's official MAP agency on the occasion of France's National Day on July 14, King Mohammed VI praised the "consolidation" of the "privileged relations" between the two nations. This partnership may pave the way for a royal visit to France and the signing of an "exceptional friendship treaty," as suggested by Sébastien Lecornu, although no date has yet been set. On Thursday morning, Lecornu and Moroccan government spokesperson Mustapha Baitas paid homage at the royal mausoleum, laying wreaths on the graves of Kings Mohammed V and Hassan II, prior to a meeting between Lecornu and his Moroccan counterpart Aziz Akhannouch.
Welcomed with military honors upon his arrival on Wednesday evening, Lecornu was accompanied by twelve ministers, including Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot and Interior Minister Laurent Nunez. Launching the 15th "high-level meeting" between the two delegations, a dialogue forum that had not convened since 2019, Lecornu characterized this as a "turning point" and expressed a desire to "scale up" the bilateral relationship, particularly concerning security and counter-terrorism issues. He highlighted the "converging interests" of both countries on the African continent, where they confront jihadist threats in the Sahel, and proposed to serve as a "mooring port" for Morocco's relations with the European Union.
Aziz Akhannouch, for his part, expressed a commitment to "accelerate the implementation of commitments made" under the 2024 partnership and to "prepare for the next steps." Morocco has now become the focal point of French diplomacy in the Maghreb, with Paris no longer striving to maintain a delicate balance with Algeria. Regarding the complex security situation in the Sahel, it appears that Paris intends to rely more heavily on its Moroccan partner, while Algeria remains reticent to share intelligence, despite a resumption of Franco-Algerian cooperation. Following these meetings, approximately fifteen agreements are expected to be signed across economic, security, migration, and defense sectors, according to diplomatic sources. These agreements will include plans for a regional express train project in Rabat and cultural initiatives, with a focus on defense partnerships in armaments.
As reported by france24.com.
