French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu arrived in Rabat Wednesday evening, welcomed by his Moroccan counterpart Aziz Akhannouch, for a visit aimed at reinforcing bilateral relations ahead of a potential visit by King Mohammed VI to France.

The French PM, accompanied by twelve ministers including Foreign Affairs’ Jean-Noël Barrot and Interior’s Laurent Nuñez, received military honors upon landing at 10 PM, greeted by the Moroccan PM and several government officials.

Lecornu had just returned from Qatar, where he conveyed France’s condolences following the passing of the former emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani. Akhannouch had also traveled to Doha to represent Morocco.

Franco-Moroccan relations have significantly improved since Emmanuel Macron recognized Morocco’s sovereignty over the disputed Western Sahara territory in summer 2024, a move that strained ties with Algeria.

The French president was later honored with a grand reception in Rabat in October of the same year, marking an end to three years of diplomatic tension. The visit concluded with numerous contracts and the signing of an “exceptional strengthened partnership.”

In a message to Macron on France’s national day, the Moroccan monarch praised the “consolidation” of the two nations’ “privileged relations,” as reported by the official Moroccan press agency MAP.

This partnership could pave the way for a visit by Mohammed VI to France, an agreement that has been formalized but not yet scheduled.

The two governments will begin Thursday’s program at the royal mausoleum before holding a bilateral meeting where each minister will engage with their Moroccan counterpart.

Fifteen agreements set to be signed during high-level talks

They will then preside over the 15th edition of a high-level dialogue between their delegations, an initiative that has not convened since 2019. The meeting aims to finalize approximately fifteen agreements spanning economic, security, migration, and defense sectors, according to diplomatic sources.

Key initiatives include civil aviation collaboration, the launch of a Rabat regional express rail network, water management partnerships, and an interconnection project for electricity between the two countries.

In defense, Paris and Rabat are exploring potential arms supply partnerships. Culturally, a strategic partnership agreement is expected between the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris and Morocco’s Ministry of Culture.

Morocco has become a top priority in France’s Maghreb diplomacy, with Paris no longer seeking to maintain a strict balance with Algeria.

On the sensitive Sahel security dossier, France appears to be increasingly relying on its Moroccan partner, as Algeria continues to withhold intelligence despite the resumption of Franco-Algerian cooperation.