Emmanuel Macron begins a three-day state visit to Morocco this Monday, October 28 in Rabat. The French president will be accompanied by his wife and a large economic, cultural and sporting delegation, as well as several members of the government. After years of estrangement between the two countries, this trip, mentioned several times and postponed since the re-election of Emmanuel Macron, aims to seal reconciliation and prepare for the future.
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The king Mohammed VI will be at the airport to welcome in person Emmanuel Macronreports our special correspondent in Rabat, Valérie Gas. 21 cannon shots will be fired and the two heads of state will then travel by ceremonial car to the Royal Palace to have a first face-to-face meeting.
This state visit must first show that the relationship between the king and the president is once again cordial and confident after episodes which had undermined it, notably in 2021 the suspicions of Emmanuel Macron on the involvement of Moroccan services regarding the wiretapping of his phone in the case Pegasus, but also the decision of Paris to reduce the visas granted to Morocco to put pressure so that Rabat accepts the return of its nationals expelled from France, or the policy of rapprochement with Algeria.
In Casablanca, visa restrictions imposed on Moroccans have left their mark
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Due to criticism from the European Parliament on freedom of expression in Morocco, the country left the post of ambassador to France vacant between January and October 2023, details our correspondent in Casablanca, François Hume-Ferkatadji. Relations did not improve on September 9, 2023, when Emmanuel Macron addressed in a video “ directly to Moroccans and Moroccans “, this is seen as a departure from protocol practices.
Disputes gradually resolved thanks to several ministerial visits, a lunch in February in Paris between Brigitte Macron and the three sisters of Mohammed VI, but above all a letter from the French president addressed to the king at the end of July in which he takes a position on the subject highly sensitive region of Western Sahara whose future lies, he writes, “ within the framework of Moroccan sovereigntye “.
Thanks from the King of Morocco
Two weeks ago, during a speech before both houses of the Moroccan Parliament, King Mohammed VI thanked the French head of state for this declarationnotes our correspondent in Casablanca Matthias Raynalemphasizing the “ positive dynamic » that the Sahara issue is experiencing, after the changes in position of Germany, Spain, the United States to name but a few. This support for the Moroccan autonomy plan redefines bilateral relations, while strong ties unite the two countries: around 850,000 Moroccans live in France, while at least 53,000 French people live in Morocco.
The Sahara issue will be discussed during President Macron’s visit: “ It is obviously important for our Moroccan friends that we confirm our attachment to this essential issue for their national security and this will be the case », assures the Élysée. But according to the same source, the very symbolic opening of a consulate in Dakhla, as many countries have done, is not current. France nevertheless says to itself “ ready to support the economic development of these regions for the benefit of local populations and in accordance with international law “.
THE Western Sahara which has immense potential for renewable energy, with its significant solar and wind resources. French companies are already active there.
Also readMorocco: the king’s diplomacy for 25 years has been focused “around the recognition of the Moroccan character of the Sahara”