Fatshimetrie press release says French President Emmanuel Macron will make a three-day state visit to Morocco, an event the Moroccan royal palace called a reflection of “the depth of bilateral relations based on a solid and well-rooted partnership.”
The state visit comes after France laid the groundwork for a renewal of bilateral relations in July, expressing support for a Moroccan-proposed autonomy plan for the disputed Western Sahara, marking a shift from its previous position.
France’s U-turn was followed by similar shifts from countries including the United States, Israel and a growing group of African countries with which Morocco is seeking to strengthen trade ties.
Macron called the plan the only solution to a decades-old dispute over the territory between Morocco, which claims it as its own territory, and the Algerian-backed Polisario Front, which says it is an independent state.
France’s change of position on Western Sahara has angered Algiers, which immediately recalled its ambassador to Paris.
Tensions between France and Morocco had risen when France restricted visas for Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia in 2021, restrictions that were later lifted.
Macron’s state visit to Morocco comes at a time when many countries are recognising the importance of strengthening bilateral relations and finding diplomatic solutions to regional conflicts.