RABAT, Morocco — President Emmanuel Macron of France is set to arrive in Morocco on Monday for a three-day visit to engage in discussions with the North African nation’s leaders about trade, climate initiatives, and immigration policies.
During this visit, Macron’s schedule includes meetings with King Mohammed VI and Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch, along with an address to Morocco’s Parliament. This trip follows Macron’s recent shift in France’s long-held public stance to endorse Morocco’s autonomy plan concerning the contentious issue of Western Sahara. This endorsement has strengthened Morocco’s ties with France, while causing a rift with Algeria, where refugee camps run by the pro-independence Polisario Front exist, and where the call for a U.N.-supervised referendum to settle the dispute remains strong.
Leading up to Macron’s arrival, Moroccan media celebrated what they termed a “warm reunion” and referred to the developing relationship between the two nations as a “new honeymoon,” with French flags displayed prominently across Rabat.
France and Morocco have a long-standing partnership that covers various critical areas, including counter-terrorism and the ongoing Western Sahara situation. Morocco stands as the leading destination for French investments within Africa, while France remains the primary trade partner of Morocco. The trade balance includes Moroccan imports of French goods such as cereals, renewable energy technologies including turbines, and military equipment, alongside exports like tomatoes, automobiles, and aircraft components from Morocco to France.
The Moroccan community in France represents one of the largest immigrant groups. These North African immigrants play a vital role in French politics, becoming central to discussions around Islam and immigration narratives within the country. Recently, France’s new Interior Minister, Bruno Retailleau, has been advocating for a stricter immigration policy, seeking collaborative efforts with countries such as Morocco to deter potential migrants attempting to enter Europe.
During Macron’s previous visit to Morocco, he and King Mohammed VI inaugurated Al Boraq, the continent’s inaugural high-speed train line, an initiative made feasible through French funding and trains produced by the French company Alstom.
While the relationship between France and Morocco has generally been robust, there have been moments of tension. Morocco, which was under French protectorate until 1956, experienced strained relations when it temporarily halted consular ties with France in 2021, following France’s decision to limit visa availability for Moroccans in response to Morocco’s alleged refusal to provide necessary documentation for the deportation of unauthorized migrants.
Relations deteriorated further when a 2021 investigation revealed reports that Moroccan security forces had employed Israeli spyware to breach the devices of various activists and political figures, including that of President Macron. In response to these allegations, Morocco issued a denial and subsequently filed a lawsuit.