Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy deplores the deterioration of relations with Morocco. He urges President Emmanuel Macron to review his foreign policy towards the kingdom and to avoid "building an artificial friendship" with Algeria.
Relations between France and Morocco have been tense for various reasons, including the Pegasus affair and visas. But the real bone of contention between the two countries remains the Sahara. Morocco is awaiting a clear position from Paris on this sensitive issue and will not compromise.
President Pedro Sanchez justified on Sunday his decision to change Spain’s position on the Sahara, reaffirming the "strategic" relations his country maintains with Morocco, and also stating that Mohammed VI is not a dictator.
Spain’s foreign policy towards Morocco, particularly its position on the Sahara, could change after the July 23 elections. The kingdom is closely following these early elections, which could lead to a change of government with the arrival of the Popular Party (PP) at the Moncloa.
France is working to ease tensions with Morocco. Several French officials and parliamentarians were in Rabat in recent weeks to end the diplomatic crisis and restore bilateral relations with the kingdom.
Strained for some time for various reasons (visa, Pegasus, Sahara), relations between France and Morocco are deteriorating day by day. One person responsible for this situation: President Emmanuel Macron, whose actions, according to some analysts, could lead to a "major, serious and unprecedented break" in relations between the two countries.
The association Matkich Waldi (Don’t touch my child) is asking the justice system to sentence a former Moroccan ambassador, who is being prosecuted for child prostitution, to "maximum sentences".
Shai Cohen is the new head of the Israeli liaison office in Rabat. He replaces Alona Fisher in this position, whose mission ended last April.
The president of the Les Républicains (LR) party, Éric Ciotti , is starting a two-day visit to Morocco this Thursday. A first trip abroad since his election, which comes in a context of tensions between France and Morocco.
Relations between Rabat and Paris are far from rosy. Scheduled for the end of April, a visit by a French Senate delegation to Morocco has been postponed indefinitely.
Driven by a sense of patriotism, Moroccan singer Asmaa Lamnawar refuses to perform in Algeria, a neighboring country that no longer has diplomatic relations with her country.
Responding to a question about the current state of relations with Morocco, François Delmas, a spokesman for the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, stated on Friday that his country maintains "an exceptional bilateral partnership" with the kingdom.