After months of diplomatic crisis and tension, dialogue is gradually resuming between Paris and Rabat. Both countries now express their willingness to rekindle their relationship. The thawing process is unfolding through small diplomatic gestures. On Monday, Brigitte Macron, the wife of the French president, hosted at the Élysée the three sisters of the Moroccan sovereign, King Mohammed VI, in a move seen as “nurturing emotional ties,” according to some observers.
The reception at the Élysée on Monday, February 19, by Brigitte Macron, the French First Lady, of the three royal highnesses of Morocco, was immortalized in a photo shared on the Élysée’s Instagram account. The caption reads, “In continuity with the historic friendship between the Kingdom of Morocco and the French Republic.”
Although President Macron did not appear in the photo, the Élysée assures that he greeted the guests. This meeting, according to the Élysée, follows “recent phone exchanges between the President of the Republic and King Mohammed VI,” signaling a warming of ties and expressing the “new ambition” attached to this relationship.
“These small diplomatic gestures carry significant weight in improving relations,” rejoices Christian Cambion, president of the France-Morocco friendship group in the Senate. Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné has reportedly been tasked by the President to prioritize relations with Rabat. Last week, the Minister of Foreign Affairs affirmed before the National Assembly his intention “to open a new chapter of relations” with Morocco.
It is worth noting that a delegation of Moroccan senators will visit France in May 2024. On the French side, it will be Gérard Larcher, the President of the Senate, who will soon be heading to Rabat.