Morocco: Emmanuel Macron to visit Rabat soon.

French President Emmanuel Macron, who has quietly renewed a confidential letter with Mohamed VI based in Paris, is expected to make an official trip in January 2023 to try to restore peaceful relations between Morocco and France.

The understanding between the two countries has deteriorated considerably in recent years. The latest sign of this malaise is that the Moroccan Kingdom was to send a simple senior Moroccan official to the Francophonie summit held in Tunisia this autumn!

“To get an appointment, I had to call the King of Morocco three times,” complained French President Emmanuel Macron (1), who has an annoying tendency to consider his counterparts as mere collaborators. In any case, there is friction on the line between Paris and Rabat.

Is it a generation effect? Or a common desire to govern “differently”? Everything started well between Mohamed VI and Emmanuel Macron. On 14 June 2017, a month and a half after crossing the threshold of the Elysée Palace, Emmanuel Macron flew to Morocco for his first official visit as head of state to the Maghreb. Traditionally, the new tenants of the French presidential palace favour Algeria for their first trip to North Africa. Emmanuel Macron will be the exception, suggesting an unusual relationship between France and the Moroccan kingdom. Unfortunately, this will not be the case.

A first relaxed meeting between the French president and the Moroccan sovereign is followed by a “family ftour”, the breaking of the fast during Ramadan. Emmanuel Macron spoke in a short press conference mainly devoted to the Hirak, the social protest movement that has shaken the kingdom for several weeks.

I believe,” he said, “in the king’s ability to calm the situation, by providing a comprehensive response, a consideration for this region, and very concrete responses in terms of public policies. Emmanuel Macron assumes the posture of a wise man, doubled as a protector. The Cherifian sovereign acquiesces. The Moroccan national media will see a particularly positive positioning of the French head of state, described a little quickly as “the spokesman for Mohammed VI”.

A hint of paternalism creeps into these first courteous exchanges between the two long-time allies. From condescension to arrogance, there is only one step that will be taken in recent years.