French Opposition Leader Visits Morocco Amid Strained Franco-Moroccan Relations

At the head of a delegation of LR elected officials, Éric Ciotti will be in Morocco this Thursday for a two-day visit. The destination of Morocco chosen by the LR boss for his first trip abroad since his election is certainly not a coincidence. Relations between France and Morocco have gradually deteriorated in recent months, to the point that Emmanuel Macron’s visit to the kingdom, announced for a long time, is having trouble taking place, reports RFI.

This visit by Éric Ciotti sounds at least like a diplomatic counteroffensive. "We, we are reserved a very warm welcome," enthuses a member of the LR delegation. This trip will be an opportunity to reaffirm "the attachment of our political family to the bonds of friendship that unite our two countries," indicates the party leadership in a press release. In other words, to "do the work that Emmanuel Macron is not doing," according to the understanding of a close friend of Ciotti.

Rachida Dati, the Moroccan former Keeper of the Seals of Nicolas Sarkozy, and current mayor of the 7th arrondissement of Paris, is part of Ciotti’s delegation. She will facilitate exchanges with the Moroccan authorities during these two days where the LR boss plans, among other things, to address the very thorny issue of immigration. The party is preparing a bill on the subject after the postponement to the fall of the government’s text, for lack of a majority, recently announced by Élisabeth Borne.