Emmanuel Macron’s state visit to Morocco this week constitutes the culmination of diplomatic efforts deployed in recent months to give new impetus to cooperation between Paris and Rabat, after several years of crisis and tensions. Since the arrival of President Macron at the Elysée in 2017, relations between France and the Arab country had cooled, largely because the French head of state preferred to focus his diplomatic efforts in North Africa on strengthening ties with neighboring Algeria, Rabat’s rival.
The revelation in 2021 that Moroccan secret services had used Israeli software Pegasus to spy on Macron on his personal phone added an element of tension and marked the worst period in relations between the two governments. To the point that in September 2023, Morocco ignored the French offer of aid in the days following the earthquake which shook several regions of the country, notably the High Atlas region, causing thousands of deaths. Despite difficulties and criticism, Mohamed VI only accepted active humanitarian aid from four countries: Spain, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.
A very different image from the one we see these days in Rabat. French and Moroccan flags fly on Avenue Mohamed V in the capital, as well as at every roundabout, at the main gate of Rabat-Salé airport, around the city’s Grand Théâtre and around the tower Mohamed VI. Leaning on a cane, at the foot of the steps of the French president’s official plane, the monarch received Macron for the first time since 2018 – the year of his last state visit to the North African country.
This visit is the result of months of work by French diplomacy to prepare the ground for reconciliation with Rabat, after a change of strategy after verifying that the rapprochement with Algiers did not bring the expected results. The central element of the change in tone in French-Moroccan relations has been Macron’s public support for the Moroccan plan for Western Sahara, made official by the French president in a letter to Mohamed VI in July, in which he declared that it was “the only basis” to resolve the conflict between Morocco and the Polisario Front.
Western Sahara and migration
“With Mohamed VI, we decided to write a new book together,” Macron declared before a euphoric Parliament. “The present and future of Western Sahara fall within the framework of Moroccan sovereignty,” added the French president during his appearance. A speech with nods to the country’s colonial past, which also implies a commitment to defending the French and Moroccan thesis within international organizations, such as the United Nations Security Council – where France has a right of veto . A week earlier, on the same stage, the king had expressed his “deepest gratitude to France and to President Emmanuel Macron for this open support for the Moroccan identity of the Sahara”.
“This position is not hostile to anyone”, wanted to assure the French head of state in response to criticism from Algeria, the main international support of the Polisario Front, which withdrew its ambassador in Paris in July after the letter from Macron to Mohamed VI. “And I say it here again and very strongly: our operators and our companies will support the development of these territories through investments, sustainable and solidarity initiatives for the benefit of local populations,” declared Macron.
In Parliament, the French president addressed another of the main disputes that the two countries have faced in recent years: the issue of visas. France had reduced the number of travel documents for Moroccan citizens – as it also did with other Maghreb countries – to punish the authorities, whom it accuses of not processing the reception of citizens quickly enough. Moroccans expelled from French territory. A measure widely criticized by various humanitarian organizations, which according to the French NGO Cimade “is nothing other than unjust collective punishment, directed indiscriminately against all Algerians, Moroccans and Tunisians”. While the previous French executive had canceled this measure, the new Minister of the Interior says he wants to reactivate it.
In his speech on Tuesday, Emmanuel Macron welcomed an “exceptional and strengthened partnership” concluded with King Mohammed VI, which will focus on the fight against “illegal immigration and the need for natural and fluid cooperation in consular matters”.
The same day, Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau and his Moroccan counterpart Abdelouafi Laftit signed an agreement to work on a roadmap aimed at improving the identification of Moroccan nationals staying illegally in France. Likewise, the objective is to “shorten the deadlines” for “readmission of Moroccan nationals in an irregular situation” in France to “improve in terms of number of people”. readmitted“, as the Frenchman explained.
On the other hand, Macron invited King Mohammed VI to sign in Paris in 2025 a new bilateral “strategic framework” which also serves to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the previous founding document of relations between the two countries, the Declaration of La Celle- Holy. Cloud of 1955, which sealed the independence of Morocco. This new agreement could be signed during a “state visit to France that His Majesty [Mohammed VI] has already accepted”, indicated the Elysée in a press release.
Important economic context
In addition to the grandiose declarations, France and Morocco signed 22 commercial and financial agreements worth 10 billion euros, according to the Elysée. Among them, the contract with the French company Alstom stands out for the construction of the second section of the high-speed train which links Tangier to Casablanca and which will reach Marrakech. The 1.8 billion euro contract was awarded to Alstom, over other companies including Spain’s Talgo and Caf.
The large group of business leaders who accompanied Macron included those from Alstom, Engie, Safran, TotalEnergies, CMA CGM, Suez, Veolia and Thales Alenia Space; in addition to the main ministers of the Government and personalities from the world of culture.
For example, Engie signed with the Moroccan public company OCP (world leader in phosphates) an agreement worth 3.5 billion euros for renewable energies, another of the sectors highlighted in the agreements between France and Morocco. , as well as water desalination and agriculture. Furthermore, the French company Airbus could sign this week the sale of 188 new planes to Air Maroc and at least two defense contracts are under discussion: one with Airbus, for the sale of between 15 and 18 Caracal H225M transport helicopters, and one another with Naval Group for the construction of two submarines.
During the visit, a Franco-Moroccan business meeting took place at the International University of Rabat around the theme of co-industrialization and “Made in Morroco”. In addition to various personalities and businessmen, the Moroccan Minister of Economy and Finance, Nadie Fettah Alaoui, also participated in the session, alongside her French counterpart, Antoine Armand.
Another milestone of the visit was the inauguration of the Grand Théâtre de Rabat by the first lady of France, Brigitte Macron, and the older sister of King Mohamed VI, Lalla Hasna. The building, completed three years ago, has remained closed to the public: it was designed by the famous architect Zaha Hadid with a budget of 200 million euros and the Moroccan Minister of Culture, Rachida Dati, and the director of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay.
The visit also welcomed a young and unexpected protagonist: Princess Lalla Khadija, 17 years old and daughter of Mohamed VI, reappeared at an official event after five years. The last time he participated in royal family events was in 2019. His presence at the foot of the runway during Macron’s welcome at Rabat-Salé airport surprised the population and the Moroccan media.
On his last day in Rabat, before returning to France, the French president participated in a forum on food security and had a meeting with the French community, the EFE agency reported.
