Royal Rapprochement: King Mohammed VI’s Long-Awaited France Visit Signals Diplomatic Thaw

According to a Moroccan diplomatic source, the state visit to France of King Mohammed VI, postponed several times, "could take place either in the last quarter of 2025 or in the first quarter of 2026". The Moroccan sovereign will thus respond to the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron. A series of preparatory meetings is planned before this official visit. The holding of the Franco-Moroccan High Joint Commission, co-chaired by the heads of government, will be effective in the fall of 2025. Several technical meetings are also planned to advance bilateral files.

A meeting will be held on June 25 in Paris. It will bring together officials from the two countries to discuss cooperation on readmissions. The Moroccan Minister of the Interior, Abdelouafi Laftit, is expected in Paris on July 7. During his visit to Rabat last April, the French Minister of the Interior, Bruno Retailleau, had reported on an agreement aimed at "improving cooperation for readmissions", in particular through the establishment of a "joint group" responsible for "investigating the Moroccan nationality or not" of a number of migrants in an irregular situation.

Last July, France had lent its support to the Moroccan autonomy plan for Western Sahara, considering it as the only basis likely to resolve the conflict with the Polisario Front. This change of position had put an end to a period of diplomatic tension.