Macron promete visitar Marruecos en octubre
Following his trip to Algeria and in the midst of tensions with Morocco due to the reduction of visas for Moroccans, French President Emmanuel Macron has announced a visit to the Kingdom. Leaving a concert in Le Touquet, the French leader was talking to several citizens who asked him about his stay in Algeria. Macron replied that the trip was "great" and added that he would go to Morocco at the end of October.
However, neither the Elysée nor French diplomacy has confirmed the trip yet. "We have no information at the moment that would allow us to answer your questions," the Elysée press service replied to the Moroccan media Medias24.
Macron's alleged trip to Morocco would have a similar objective to the one to Algeria: to strengthen ties after a period of tensions. In Rabat's case, this rift has arisen due to the continued rejection of Moroccan citizens' applications for French visas.
Paris decided to reduce visas for Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia in September 2021 after they refused to accept the return of their nationals subject to deportation proceedings. Almost a year later, Maghrebi nationals continue to denounce and criticise this measure, which has provoked a silent crisis between France and the Kingdom.
Macron's announcement, as well as coinciding with his recent visit to Algeria, comes shortly after King Mohammed VI urged his international partners to support Morocco on the Western Sahara issue. "We hope that some partner countries that adopt ambiguous positions will clarify their positions on the Moroccan Sahara dossier", the monarch declared during his speech on the occasion of the 69th anniversary of the King and People's Revolution.
The message was addressed to countries such as Russia, China and the UK. However, according to Moroccan media, Mohamed VI also wanted to put pressure on France in particular. Paris has been in favour of a just, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions. It has also considered the Moroccan autonomy plan as "a serious and credible basis for discussion", although it has stopped short of endorsing it as other countries have done.
As Moroccan analyst Nofal Bouamri tells Al Arab, 'he does not expect an official visit by Macron in the near future without clarifying France's position on the Moroccan ownership of the Sahara'. Other analysts agree with Boumri, stressing that any visit by the French president to Morocco must entail a political change regarding the Sahara.
On the other hand, Moroccan journalist Mohamed Mamouni Al Al Alaoui stresses that Macron, with this gesture, "emphasises that his country is not on Algeria's side and is a friend of both countries".
