Morocco’s King Mohammed VI May Attend Francophonie Summit in Paris

The Rabat-Paris axis is strengthening after France’s recognition of Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara. Emmanuel Macron has invited King Mohammed VI, who arrived in Paris on September 18 for a private visit, to participate in the 19th Summit of the International Organization of La Francophonie, which will be held from October 4 to 5 in Paris and Villers-Cotterêts, northeast of the capital, reports Jeune Afrique, stating that several sources have told them that "his presence has been announced and then confirmed both to the OIF organizers and to the Élysée."

The Moroccan sovereign will be at the head of a delegation composed of several Moroccan personalities, including a royal advisor (most likely Taieb Fassi-Fihri or Fouad Ali El Himma), his chamberlain, Mohamed El Alaoui, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans Residing Abroad, Nasser Bourita, as well as the Kingdom’s ambassador to France, Samira Sitail. On the sidelines of the OIF, the "Franco-Tech" event will be organized in Paris. An economic event that will be held at Station F (the world’s largest start-up incubator, founded by businessman Xavier Niel), in Paris, and which will be attended by the Head of Government, Aziz Akhannouch, as well as representatives of the Moroccan employers’ association, the CGEM, headed by Chakib El Alj and Mehdi Tazi.

"After Emmanuel Macron’s letter recognizing Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara, this visit by Mohammed VI to this summit chaired by the Élysée is a strong signal reflecting the current quality of the relationship between Morocco and France, up to the highest level of the State," comments a connoisseur of the intricacies of Moroccan diplomacy. And he continues: "It shows that the tensions and misunderstandings of recent years are now a thing of the past, but also the importance the monarch attaches to Africa."

In the eyes of others, this is only the concretization of a Moroccan-French agreement. In other words, it would be "support provided by Morocco to Paris in its relationship with the countries of sub-Saharan Africa, at least those where France is persona non grata such as Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso with which Rabat maintains good relations, in exchange for France’s recognition of the kingdom’s sovereignty over the Sahara."

For now, the royal program has not yet been drawn up. It is difficult to know whether King Mohammed VI will be present from the opening of the event, whether he will make a speech, participate in the dinner of heads of state or even whether the Moroccan sovereign will visit the Francophonie village, where the Moroccan pavilion is next to that of France. "Anything is possible, but nothing is yet certain," we are told at the OIF headquarters.

The 19th Francophonie Summit will focus on the theme: "Creating, innovating and entrepreneuring in French." The vast majority of the 54 member states and regions, as well as representatives of the 34 associates and observers, are invited to participate.