2023-06-03 10:00:00
Relations between France and Morocco have deteriorated in recent months, despite the trip to Rabat in December by the French Minister of Foreign Affairs, Catherine Colonna. Relations “are neither friendly nor good, neither between the two governments, nor between the royal palace and the Élysée”, a Moroccan diplomat had confirmed to Jeune Afrique. This year 2023, two French delegations carried out missions in Morocco. The first, led by Éric Ciotti, leader of the Les Républicains (LR) party, was in Rabat in April to discuss with the authorities of the kingdom with a view to strengthening bilateral relations and cooperation, recalls the site. Atalayar.
To read: Morocco-France: the head of French diplomacy advocates appeasement
The second, made up of French parliamentarians, was in the Moroccan capital in recent days to reaffirm Paris’ commitment to restoring relations with the kingdom, which is one of its main economic partners. During their meeting with Nizar Baraka, Secretary General of the Istiqlal Party and Minister of Equipment and Water, and Abdellatif Ouahbi, Secretary General of the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) and Minister of Justice, the question visa restrictions affecting Moroccans living abroad was discussed.
To read: Éric Ciotti: “Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara is indisputable”
“This Franco-Moroccan friendly visit will be an opportunity to reaffirm the deep attachment and solid friendship between France and Morocco. It may happen that our government is faced with minor problems, and it is the responsibility of the Assembly to make an effort to resolve them,” Christian Cambon, the head of the delegation and chairman of the committee, told the press. Foreign Affairs, Defense and Armed Forces of the French Senate. For Mohamed Zidouh, leader of the Franco-Moroccan friendship group, this visit by French parliamentarians is “important to give new impetus to bilateral relations and further consolidate trust”.
To read: Risk of a “major rupture” in relations between France and Morocco
According to Hicham Moataad, a Moroccan expert in international relations, these visits and statements by French politicians are not likely to lead to a thaw in the situation. “Rabat needs much more than symbolic speeches, protocol and official visits to resolve political disputes of a sovereign dimension”, he analyzes, specifying that France “still resists Morocco’s request to leave the country”. gray zone and to display a clear position on certain key subjects such as the Sahara”. “France has always been alongside Morocco at the United Nations, and it will be able, when the time comes, to take the necessary decisions” concerning the Sahara, assured Christian Cambon.
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