William Molinie
modified to
08:59, December 13, 2022
It will be the day after the France-Morocco semi-final that Catherine Colonna, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, will travel to Rabat on Thursday. Objective: to prepare for a state visit by Emmanuel Macron, at a time when the bilateral relationship between France and Morocco seems to be at its worst, especially on the thorny subject of visas.
When football intertwines with geopolitics. While France and Morocco will face each other in the semi-finals of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar this Wednesday, Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna is already busy preparing for Emmanuel Macron’s future visit to the country. of the Maghreb. But the task promises to be difficult due to the many differences between the two powers for many years, starting with the thorny subject of visas. In September 2021, Paris decided to halve the number of entry permits granted to Moroccans.
A new ambassador to ease tensions?
The measure was quickly described as unjustified by Rabat and humiliating by several humanitarian organizations. Humiliating, this is also how the investigation opened in 2014 by the French courts into the accusations of torture against Abdellatif Hammouchi, then head of Moroccan counterintelligence, was perceived. And diplomatic incidents poison the discreet attempts at rapprochement between Paris and Rabat. Latest: the Pegasus affair.
As a reminder, there were suspicions of espionage by Moroccan services on nearly a thousand French telephones, including that of Emmanuel Macron. At the heart of this Franco-Moroccan disenchantment, there are also these regular criticisms of the French president, perceived as too close to the Algerian neighbor.
The only sign of a possible resumption of dialogue, a French ambassador should once again take up residence in Rabat. Christophe Lecourtier, current managing director of Business France, received his authorization last week from the Moroccan authorities.