confidentially speaking
The Africa Confidential Blog
Macron mends ties with Morocco and angers Algiers
Blue Lines
France and Morocco completed the relaunch of their diplomatic relations after the state visit by Emmanuel Macron on 28-30 October featuring an open-top motorcade through the streets of Rabat with King Mohammed VI. The visit saw the signing of more than 20 investment contracts, including Alstom’s contract to supply 18 high-speed train carriages and a renewables partnership worth €3.5 billion between France’s Engie and the Office Chérifien des Phosphates.
But the most politically important move was Macron’s confirmation that Western Sahara should be under Moroccan control. ‘For France, this territory’s present and future fall under Morocco’s sovereignty,’ he told lawmakers in Rabat. He received a standing ovation.
Renewed relations have been achieved at the expense of diplomatic rancour with Algeria. After Macron’s change of heart on Western Sahara in July, Algiers withdrew its ambassador.
It is a remarkable turnaround just three years after a visa dispute led Morocco to suspend consular relations, while Rabat was revealed to have used Pegasus surveillance software to spy on Macron.
A series of other European states released public statements emphasising their support for Morocco after the European Court of Justice ruled that the EU-Morocco trade accords could not apply to Western Sahara. Mohamed VI’s diplomatic grand slam in Europe is almost complete.