TIMES REPORT
RABAT: The 15th session of the Morocco-France High-Level Meeting opened yesterday in Rabat, co-chaired by the Head of Government, Aziz Akhannouch, and French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu.
This meeting is being held to celebrate the strengthened exceptional partnership between Morocco and France, under the leadership of the two Heads of State, His Majesty King Mohammed VI and French President Emmanuel Macron.
This high-level meeting, which was preceded by several bilateral meetings between members of the two countries’ governments, was marked by the signing of several agreements aimed at injecting new momentum into Moroccan-French relations.
Speaking at the opening of this meeting, the Moroccan Head of Government stated that the 15th Morocco-France High-Level Meeting (HLM) between Morocco and France constitutes “the first concrete governmental implementation of the new political framework” established by His Majesty King Mohammed VI and the President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, during the French President’s state visit to the Kingdom in October 2024
Mr. Akhannouch also emphasized that this meeting, far from being a mere reactivation of an institutional mechanism, reflects the strengthened exceptional partnership that has opened a new chapter in relations between the two countries and charted an ambitious course based on a strong political convergence, renewed economic momentum, and a shared commitment to shaping the future together.
”We have also been entrusted with the mission of developing new projects and ensuring their implementation, in the very best interests of both our peoples, in the spirit of the exceptional partnership that binds us. We are both committed to doing our utmost to ensure that His Majesty’s upcoming state visit to France solidifies this ambition and gives it its full meaning,” explained the French official.
He continued: “It is also in the interest of our two peoples that we work toward our common security, and I would like to commend the excellent cooperation between our agencies in combating the threat of terrorism, drug trafficking, human trafficking, and irregular migration”.
This 15th Morocco-France High-Level Meeting was marked by the signing of 14 agreements between the two countries, including a letter of intent on cooperation in the area of feminist foreign policy, an annex to the technical arrangement in the field of civil aviation, a partnership agreement between the Ecole nationale supérieure maritime (ENSM) in France and the Institut supérieur d’études Maritimes (ISEM) in Morocco, as well as AFD loan agreements for the Rabat RER and for water policy.
The other agreements cover additional areas of cooperation, including a “declaration of intent on the teaching of Arabic and history and geography in the French education system,” a “strategic partnership agreement between the Arab World Institute and the Ministry of Youth, Culture, and Communication,” and a “draft framework agreement on scientific cooperation between CIRAD and IAV”.
French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu reaffirmed his country’s “intangible” stance in support of Morocco’s sovereignty over its Sahara. “This stance, I repeat here, is intangibleIn that message, President Macron had officially affirmed that the present and future of the Sahara lie within the framework of Moroccan sovereignty.
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