French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu embarks on a two-day diplomatic mission to Rabat, marking a significant step in strengthening French-Moroccan relations. The visit underscores efforts to deepen bilateral cooperation across multiple sectors.

Accompanied by a delegation of twelve ministers, including Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Noël Barrot and Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez, Lecornu will engage in high-level discussions with Morocco’s Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch. This marks the first such meeting between the two governments since 2019.

Relations between France and Morocco have markedly improved since President Emmanuel Macron formally recognized Morocco’s sovereignty over the disputed Western Sahara territory in the summer of 2024. This declaration, which drew criticism from Algiers, was followed by a three-day state visit by Macron to Rabat in October 2024, during which numerous bilateral agreements were signed. The visit effectively ended three years of strained ties, exacerbated by espionage allegations and visa disputes.

“Relations are now excellent; this visit is about reaping the benefits,” commented Hasni Abidi, director of the Geneva-based Centre for Studies and Research on the Arab and Mediterranean World (Cermam).

Morocco emerges as France’s strategic partner in the Maghreb

Morocco has become a priority in France’s Maghreb diplomacy, with Paris no longer seeking to balance its ties between Morocco and Algeria. “Emmanuel Macron no longer feels compelled to maintain equilibrium between Morocco and Algeria, whose relations with France remain fragile,” Abidi noted.

This visit represents Lecornu’s first official trip abroad since assuming office in late 2025, a period characterized by a notably low public profile. The agenda includes a military honor welcome on Wednesday evening, a wreath-laying ceremony at the Royal Mausoleum on Thursday morning, and a bilateral meeting between the two prime ministers.

A meeting between the delegations will follow at Morocco’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where several agreements are expected to be signed. These will focus on economic, security, migration, and defense cooperation.

Pierre Vermeren, a historian specializing in North Africa, observes that with Algeria’s relations with France remaining difficult, “Macron, in the final stretch of his presidency, does not want to leave the Maghreb with a failure in Algeria and is turning decisively toward Morocco.”

Vermeren further suggests that Morocco could serve as an intermediary, helping France “reconnect” with several sub-Saharan African countries, as both nations share common interests in combating the jihadist threat in the Sahel.

Security and judicial cooperation take center stage

Security and judicial cooperation between France and Morocco has already resumed. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez is set to meet his Moroccan counterpart, Abdelouafi Laftit, to discuss the potential extradition of Franco-Moroccan national Ismael Benahmed. Benahmed, suspected of involvement in a Paris murder case in 2019, was recently arrested in Morocco.

For its part, Morocco has praised France’s support for its autonomy plan for Western Sahara, which contributed to the adoption of a new 2025 United Nations resolution favorable to Morocco’s stance. The disputed territory, a former Spanish colony, has been a source of tension for nearly five decades between Morocco and the Polisario Front, an independence movement backed by Algeria.

The French-Moroccan rapprochement is also expected to lead to increased French investments in Morocco. During the peak of the 2021-2022 visa crisis, when France halved visa issuance to Moroccan nationals, Rabat retaliated by blocking the repatriation of undocumented Moroccans and diversifying its trade partnerships with other European countries.

The potential highlight of the visit could be a state visit by King Mohammed VI to France, accompanied by the signing of a “exceptional partnership” treaty. While the foreign ministers of both countries announced the principle of such a visit in late May, no date has been set. The last visit by a Moroccan monarch to France dates back to March 2000, when King Mohammed VI undertook a three-day trip to bolster bilateral cooperation.