Macron Faces Criticism for Straining Morocco Ties in Favor of Algeria

"I also blame him for having sacrificed our relationship with Morocco in an attempt to please the Algerian regime," said Sunday the deputy Michèle Tabarot during the ceremony marking the political return of the Les Républicains party, organized near the city of Nice, before recalling the latest visit to Morocco of a delegation from his party. "On the initiative of Éric Ciotti, we went, my friend Rachida (Dati, editor’s note), Ronan Le Gleut and I, to this great country a few weeks ago to meet political leaders. I want to tell them our desire to relaunch our relations."

"For us, there will be no Mediterranean policy without Morocco and the President of the Republic must finally understand this!" insists the LR deputy, member of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the French National Assembly. This visit took place in early May. "We want to testify to the indispensable link between our parties, of course, but above all between France and Morocco. We have very strong cultural, economic ties, which are expressed by the presence of many French companies in Morocco, strong trade relations," Éric Ciotti, the LR leader, had declared to Le360 after a meeting with Aziz Akhannouch, head of the Moroccan government and president of the RNI.

Michèle Tabarot also mentioned the anti-French sentiment of Algeria. Its president Abdelmadjid Tebboune has, through a decree, reintroduced an anti-French couplet dating back to 1986 in the national anthem: "O France! The time for speeches is over. We have closed it like a book. O France! The day has come when you must account for your actions. Get ready!"