Morocco’s relations with France have been increasingly strained over the past year. In particular, the reduction by half of the number of visas granted to Moroccans to come to France, but also the question of Western Sahara, a region over which Morocco claims its sovereignty and requests greater support from Paris. It is in this tense context that Rabat hosted a visit from French parliamentarians from Saturday to Monday.
In September 2021, Paris decided to reduce by 50% the number of visas granted to Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia, to put pressure on governments deemed too uncooperative in the readmission of their nationals expelled from France. A hardening that has cast a chill over relations between Morocco and France.
For the past year, visa refusals have raised the anger of Moroccans toward France. For French senator Michel Dagbert, at the microphone of our correspondent in Rabat, Victor Mauriat, it is urgent to tackle this last problem, directly linked to the migration issue. This question of visas is significant because it is directly linked to the question of obligations to leave French territory (OQTF). And so we absolutely have to be able to disconnect it from this issue of visas. I think that we can obtain a result on the OQTFs by means other than by sanctioning the issuance of visas.
For Salah Bourdi, president of the Eugène Delacroix circle which is organizing the parliamentary visit, one of the solutions could concern Western Sahara. Moroccans, what they want is for France to fully recognize this territory as Moroccan territory, this is not yet the case, this is the step that Moroccans are asking Emmanuel Macron (to take ), and we are campaigning for France to fully recognize the southern territories as being Moroccan territories.
For the moment, between Rabat and Paris, the time has not yet come for warming relations, the kingdom is still awaiting the appointment of a new French ambassador after the departure of Hélène Le Gal at the end of September.
RFI was still able to confirm the holding of a call between Mohamed VI and Emmanuel Macron, it was on November 1, a half-hour discussion with the aim of preparing a visit by the French president to Morocco from here. early 2023.
