French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna arrived on Thursday at Rabat prepare the President’s official visit Emmanuel Macron scheduled for early 2023 with the difficult task of easing tensions in bilateral relations, AFP reporters say.

The crisis over entry visas, Morocco’s pressure on France to recognize the “Moroccan character” of Western Sahara, suspicions of tapping the phones of the French president and ministers: there are many topics of tension.

The Élysée has not yet announced a date for the French president’s visit, which is expected to take place in the “first quarter” of 2023.

Tomorrow, Friday, Catherine Colonna will be received by her Moroccan counterpart, Nasser Burita, “with whom she will discuss all aspects of the excellent bilateral cooperation between Morocco and France,” ministry spokeswoman Anne-Clair Legendre said today. Foreign Affairs, highlighting the positive aspects of relations between the two countries.

For example, he cited the education sector. He stressed that in Morocco, more than 46,000 students study in 40 approved French schools, 69% of which are Moroccan. On the other hand, Moroccan students represent “the first group of foreign students in France”, studying in the best engineering and business schools.

In 2022, 16 Moroccans were admitted to the prestigious École Polytechnique de Paris, “that is, more than 1/3 of the foreigners who entered it,” the spokeswoman also said.

Paris and Rabat also have a close economic relationship, with Morocco being “the first destination for French investors on the African continent”.

In addition to this “excellent” collaboration, Colonna and Burita “will talk about the war in Ukraine and its consequences, such as food insecurity, especially affecting the African continent,” Legendre added.

The visa issue will also be discussed, he said, without specifying whether the restrictive measures that have been in place since September 2021 will be lifted.

Paris decided to halve the number of entry permits issued to Moroccans, citing the kingdom’s reluctance to re-admit its citizens to France who were illegal migrants. A measure condemned by Rabat, humanitarian NGOs and French-speaking Moroccan circles.

^{Source: APE-MEB, AFP.}