Morocco and France continue to strengthen relations
Aziz Akhannouch, head of the Moroccan government, met with Bruno Le Maire, French Minister of Economy, Finance, Industry and Digital Sovereignty, who is visiting the North African country.
During the meeting, held in the presence of the Moroccan Minister of Economy and Finance, Nadia Fettah Alaoui, and the Minister of Budget, Fouzi Lekjaa, the two sides underlined the uniqueness and depth of relations between Morocco and France.
They highlighted the desire of the leaders of the two countries to strengthen bilateral cooperation, noting that in recent weeks King Mohammed VI and French President Emmanuel Macron expressed their common desire to strengthen the multidimensional strategic partnership between Paris and Rabat.
"The head of government praised the quality of relations between Morocco and France and stressed the need to give them a new impetus, in line with the developments taking place at all levels, through close consultations," he said.
This discussion served as an opportunity to exchange views on promising prospects for industrial cooperation in key areas between the two countries, especially green hydrogen. The meeting also served to commend the efforts of the French Development Agency to support Morocco's reform and development programmes.
Advances in renewable energy is one of the main areas of French attraction. The problems of energy supplies and the rise in energy prices since the conflict in Ukraine have favoured rapprochement between the governments in Rabat and Paris.
"We are unanimous: the economic relationship between Morocco and France is dynamic and unique, but it is also a partnership that must be renewed to meet the many challenges of tomorrow, including climate change, hydrogen and food security," Le Maire said in an interview with the Moroccan newspaper Le Matin.
The talks deepened economic and trade cooperation between the two countries and highlighted France's position as Morocco's key partner in tourism revenues and foreign investment. The volume of trade between the two countries is expected to reach some 163.1 billion dollars in 2023, a significant increase of 33% compared to 2021.
Morocco is a country on the rise and France knows it. Rabat's development is possible thanks to regional development and the use of resources such as phosphorous agriculture and the development of electric vehicles thanks to the low production costs of batteries, but it would not have been able to reach its current level of development without cooperation from third countries.
The meeting between the two leaders concluded with the announcement of the holding of the 15th Moroccan-French High Level Summit, a mechanism that will be of great importance in strengthening and revitalising the rapidly developing relations between Paris and Rabat.
To improve Franco-Moroccan relations, the French and Moroccan diplomatic corps, led by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, pledged to improve investment and develop Western Sahara's technological and industrial sectors.
Relations between Morocco and France have long been strained by Paris' ambivalent approach to the Western Sahara conflict. In recent months, the country has taken active steps to restore bilateral relations with Rabat.
Beyond economic ties, France remains unclear about the position of Morocco and Algeria, the Moroccan kingdom's main rival in the Maghreb, which is in line with the positions of the Polisario Front.
The Sahrawi position seen from the Polisario Front's point of view, as several experts have pointed out, has much less support at the international level than the Moroccan position, which is supported by countries such as the United States, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Germany and Spain.
For the moment, France has already announced its support for Morocco's territorial integrity, revealing plans to support the Kingdom's comprehensive development efforts in its southern provinces.
