French Foreign Minister Praises Morocco’s COVID-19 Measures During Repatriation Efforts

"I respect the health standards that the Moroccan authorities have decided," said Jean-Yves Le Drian on Tuesday on France Inter, as he was taking stock of the repatriation operations of French citizens stranded abroad. "It was necessary to multiply the initiatives in 140 different countries to allow 186,000 French people to ’return in the best conditions’," the minister recalls.

In the Maghreb, particularly in Morocco, there were two phases. "The first, which began on March 13, where the French tourists who were on site, wanted to return. We allowed 30,000 to return via an air bridge of 200 flights," he explained.

"The second wave, more recent, concerns other French people who, since April, have expressed their wish to return to France, either because they had not found a place on the flights (a relatively small number), or because Franco-Moroccans, who have their residences in France and spend part of the year in Morocco, wanted to return and I respect this choice, or because there were campers who had their habits and thought they could return later," he added.

But for these, it becomes complicated, suggests Le Drian. And for good reason: "the Moroccan airports are closed, there are no flights except the Air France flights that we charter regularly, and there are very demanding health measures, with travel banned. It’s a particular situation and I respect the health standards that the Moroccan authorities have decided."