Currently visiting Morocco, the French president could reconcile with King Mohammed VI, with whom relations have been very tense in recent years.
This Monday, October 28, Emmanuel Macron landed in Morocco for a three-day state visit. He was welcomed with his wife with great pomp and was accompanied by several ministers, big bosses and personalities from the Franco-Moroccan cultural scene. King Mohammed VI rolled out the red carpet for them as they exited the plane. The French president is expected to sign contracts and investments worth up to “ten billion euros” during his visit, reports RFIwith in particular an agreement between the companies Alstom and Egis for the construction of the second section of the TGV line which will link Tangier to Marrakech.
This trip is very important to renew relations between the two men, who have been at odds for several years. Suspicions of tapping Emmanuel Macron’s phone are at the heart of their strained ties. In 2021, a Moroccan state security service was, in fact, suspected of having chosen the president’s number to potentially hack him as well as that of his Prime Minister at the time, Edouard Philippe, and fourteen others ministers. The investigation by journalists from the Forbidden Stories consortium pointed to a possible use of Pegasus software, known to be untraceable and to recover all the content available on a device (photos, contacts, messages, calls, etc.).
Emmanuel Macron not tender with the Moroccan king
If it has not been proven that Emmanuel Macron was spied on, the Elysée regretted an “interest in doing so” since the name of the leader would have been discovered on the list of numbers potentially to be monitored. In private, Emmanuel Macron would have reacted particularly badly: “The President was bruised at having been betrayed in this way, furious with the Moroccans, saying: they did it to me the other way around, this king is a thug”, reported Release. He would then have contacted the king, who would have denied the facts. “No, I didn’t listen to you,” Mohammed VI would have responded dryly, according to the daily, which also relays Emmanuel Macron’s anger in the face of this lack of consideration: “Listen, I have the proof, or you’re lying , or you don’t know what’s going on in your country”, he would have said then, showing the little confidence he had in her at the time.
Another subject of division between the two countries was the halving of the number of visas granted to Moroccans in 2021 and 2022 to encourage Rabat to recover its nationals in an irregular situation. Bruno Retailleau, Minister of the Interior, wishes to further review the visa policy. The subject of immigration must therefore be addressed during this state visit, which was also considered since 2020 but has continued to be postponed. This arrival in Morocco could be the first step in reconciliation, especially since King Mohammed VI has already accepted a state visit to France in return.