French Foreign affairs minister, Catherine Colonna will arrive in Morocco on Thursday night and begin talks with Morocco’s foreign minister, Nasser Bourita on Friday in a rapprochement move to resolve a year-long diplomatic crisis between the two countries.
France’s decision to withhold visas to Moroccans in order to coerce Morocco to take back irregular migrants residing in France tops the agenda of the visit, as well as the French stance on the Sahara, and an upcoming visit by President Emmanuel Macron.
A press conference is expected to be held on Friday after Bourita’s meeting with Colonna.
Tensions multiplied between the two countries due to different factors, including Macron’s skeptical stance on Morocco’s autonomy plan, and a 50% reduction of visa granting to Moroccan citizens.
Paris said it wants to relax its policy on visas, in an effort to warm up bilateral relations.
The crisis between France and Morocco became evident after Ambassador Hélène Le Gall left the French embassy in Rabat in September 2020, and Mohamed Benchaaboun, the Moroccan ambassador to Paris was appointed as general manager of the Mohammed VI Investment Fund.
Colonna’s visit comes hours after King Mohammed VI spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron to congratulate him on the qualification of his national team to the finals of the World Cup.
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