By Manal El Warraky
At the invitation of King Mohammed VI, King of Morocco, French President, Mr. Emmanuel Macron, and his wife, Mrs. Brigitte Macron, arrived in Rabat on the evening of Monday, October 28, 2024, for a 3-day state visit to the Kingdom of Morocco.
Upon their arrival at Rabat-Salé Airport, the French Head of State and his wife were received by King Mohammed VI, accompanied by his Crown Prince Moulay El Hassan, and members of the royal family.
The Moroccan Prime Minister, a number of senior Moroccan officials, the Dean of the Diplomatic Corps accredited to Rabat, and the heads of European diplomatic missions accredited to Morocco, welcomed the French President.
In return, and to highlight the importance of the visit, the French President was accompanied by a large delegation consisting of Mr. Bruno Rotayot, Minister of the Interior, Ms. Anne Jeannette, Minister of National Education, Mr. Jean-Noël Barrot, Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs, Ms. Rachida Dati, Minister of Culture, Mr. Sébastien Lecorne, Minister of the Armed Forces and Veterans, Mr. Antoine Armand, Minister of Economy, Finance and Industry, Ms. Annie Gennevart, Minister of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forests, Mr. Patrick Hetzel, Minister of Higher Education and Research, Ms. Olga Giverny, Minister Delegate to the Minister of Ecological Transition, Energy, Climate and Risk Prevention, in charge of Energy, Mr. Thani Mohamed Souilhi, Secretary of State to the Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs in charge of Francophonie and International Partnerships, Ms. Naima Motchou, Member of Parliament for Val-d’Oise (4th constituency) and Vice-President of the National Assembly, Mr. Bruno Fuchs, Member of Parliament for Upper Rhine (6th constituency) and Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, and Mr. Karim Ben Cheikh, Member of Parliament for French residents outside France (9th district) and former president of the French-Moroccan Friendship Group in the National Assembly, Mr. Christian Cambon, Senator for Val-de-Marne (Ile-de-France) and President of the French-Moroccan Friendship Group in the Senate, in addition to a number of figures from the worlds of business, economy, culture and sports.
It is noteworthy that immediately after saluting the Moroccan and French flags, the procession of the two heads of state headed towards the Royal Palace in Rabat, where residents of the cities of Salé and Rabat gathered along the route taken by the official procession, to express their joy and delight at this state visit, which comes to strengthen the long-standing relations of cooperation and friendship between the two countries and peoples.
Macron is scheduled to hold bilateral talks with King Mohammed VI and Moroccan Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch, and deliver a speech before the Moroccan Parliament.
The Moroccan monarch and the French president are also expected to witness the signing of a number of important agreements between the two countries.
The French president’s visit to Morocco comes months after Macron reversed France’s long-standing public stance and backed Morocco’s autonomy plan for Western Sahara. Morocco is France’s top trading partner in Africa, and French businessmen are looking to strengthen ties with Morocco and boost their presence in the kingdom. Areas of coordination between Moroccan and French businessmen will include the automotive and aviation industries, and Morocco also aims to expand its rail network. Macron and the Moroccan king inaugurated the high-speed train, Al Boraq, in 2018.
