Francia y Marruecos proyectarán su relación “excepcional” con vistas a 10-20 años

France is at pains to underline the "exceptional" relationship it has with Morocco, on the eve of a visit to the country by Emmanuel Macron in early 2023, and that the two states have embarked on "an ambitious roadmap" that aims to project itself over the next ten to twenty years.

This is the message of the French Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, who, at a press conference on Wednesday, insisted on stressing that last week's visit to Rabat by the head of diplomacy, Catherine Colonna, served to "launch an ambitious roadmap" for this bilateral relationship.

A road map which, according to the French spokeswoman, is intended to help the two countries project themselves into the future, "over the next ten to twenty years".

She explained that, during her trip to Rabat, where she met with the Moroccan Foreign Minister, Nasser Bourita, Colonna had been preparing Macron's visit to Morocco, which is known to take place during the first quarter of next year, although a precise date has not been set.

She also indicated that "all" the issues relating to the bilateral relationship, which - she stressed - is "extremely rich", had been discussed.

"We share with Morocco a multilateral vision of the international order based on the rule of law," and on this basis France wants to work with Morocco on "all global challenges," particularly those that most concern Africa, the French spokeswoman said.

In Rabat, Colonna reiterated her position of support for Morocco's autonomy plan for Western Sahara and, in general, expressed her willingness for the two countries to write a new page in their relationship in which "they rely on each other".