The Moroccan Foreign Minister (right) and his French counterpart during a press conference in Rabat (French)
Morocco and France confirmed, on Monday, their intention to turn the page on a diplomatic crisis that has affected their relations in recent years, and announced their intention to move forward towards establishing a renewed “exceptional” partnership based on “mutual respect.”
This came during a press conference held by the foreign ministers of the two countries in the Moroccan capital, Rabat.
French Foreign Minister Stephane Ségournet said, "There is an exceptional bond between France and Morocco."
He added that French President Emmanuel Macron "wants this bond to remain unique and deepen further in the coming months."
For his part, Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita stressed that the relationship between the two countries is “strong,” but he considered that it “must be renewed and developed in accordance with the principles of mutual respect, ambition, coordination, and state-to-state relations.”
Originally, the two countries are traditional allies, but their diplomatic relations have witnessed very strong tensions in recent years.
These tensions coincided with Macron's pursuit of rapprochement with Algeria, which severed diplomatic relations with Rabat in 2021.
At the same time, Rabat is pressuring Paris to take a position similar to that announced by the United States in late 2020 when it recognized the Kingdom’s sovereignty over Western Sahara, the disputed territory with the Polisario Front, which is supported by Algeria.
The United States recognized Morocco's sovereignty over the Sahara, in exchange for the normalization of relations between Morocco and Israel.
Source: French