France Seeks to Mend Strained Diplomatic Ties with Morocco

Relations between France and Morocco have deteriorated in recent months, despite the visit to Rabat in December of 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," confirmed a Moroccan diplomat to Jeune Afrique. This year 2023, two French delegations have carried out missions to Morocco. The first, led by Éric Ciotti, head of the Les Républicains (LR) party, was in Rabat in April to exchange with the authorities of the kingdom with a view to strengthening bilateral relations and cooperation, recalls the site Atalayar.

The second, composed of French parliamentarians, was in the Moroccan capital in recent days to reaffirm Paris’ commitment to restore 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 issue of visa restrictions affecting Moroccans living abroad was addressed.

"This friendly Franco-Moroccan visit will be an opportunity to reaffirm the deep attachment and solid friendship between France and Morocco. It can happen that our government is faced with minor problems, and it is the responsibility of the Assembly to make an effort to resolve them," said Christian Cambon, the head of the delegation and president of the Foreign Affairs, Defense and Armed Forces Committee of the French Senate, to the press. 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."

According to Hicham Moataad, a Moroccan expert in international relations, these visits and statements by French political leaders are not likely to lead to a thaw in the situation. "Rabat needs much more than symbolic speeches, protocol and official visits to resolve sovereign political disputes," he analyzes, specifying that France "still resists Morocco’s demand to get out of the gray area and display a clear position on certain key issues such as the Sahara." "France has always been on Morocco’s side at the United Nations, and it will be able, when the time comes, to make the necessary decisions" concerning the Sahara, assured Christian Cambon.