French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu embarks on a landmark two-day visit to Rabat, marking his first official international engagement since assuming office. The high-level mission aims to deepen strategic cooperation between France and Morocco amid signs of thawing relations.

Accompanied by a delegation including Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot and Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez, Lecornu will hold key discussions with Moroccan Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch. This summit represents the first high-level governmental meeting between the two nations since 2019.

The visit follows President Emmanuel Macron‘s historic 2024 recognition of Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara, a move that significantly improved bilateral ties despite tensions with Algeria. Macron received a lavish state welcome in Rabat later that year, culminating in the signing of multiple trade agreements.

“Relations have never been stronger. This visit is about harvesting the benefits of our renewed partnership,” noted Hasni Abidi, director of the Geneva-based Centre for Studies and Research on the Arab and Mediterranean World.

Morocco takes center stage in French Maghreb diplomacy

Morocco has emerged as France’s top priority in the Maghreb, with Paris no longer attempting to balance relations between Rabat and Algiers.

“President Macron has abandoned the previous balancing act between Morocco and Algeria,” Abidi observed. “The fragility of Algeria’s relationship with France has pushed Paris to prioritize Rabat completely.”

Lecornu’s visit marks his first official foreign trip since his appointment in late 2025, a tenure characterized by deliberate discretion. The French delegation will receive a military welcome upon arrival Wednesday evening, followed by a ceremonial wreath-laying at the royal mausoleum and bilateral talks Thursday morning.

A subsequent meeting between the two delegations at Morocco’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs will focus on finalizing several cooperation agreements spanning economic, security, migration, and defense sectors.

“With Algeria’s relationship still strained, President Macron – in the final year of his mandate – cannot afford another Maghreb failure,” explained historian Pierre Vermeren. “Morocco represents France’s best opportunity to re-engage with Sub-Saharan Africa, particularly in countering jihadist threats in the Sahel.”

Security and judicial cooperation high on agenda

Security cooperation has already resumed between Rabat and Paris, with Interior Minister Nuñez scheduled to meet his Moroccan counterpart Abdelouafi Laftit to discuss potential extradition of Franco-Moroccan suspect Ismael Benahmed, wanted for a 2019 Paris murder.

Morocco has welcomed France’s unwavering support for its Western Sahara autonomy plan, which contributed to the UN’s favorable 2025 resolution. The disputed territory, a former Spanish colony considered by the UN as ‘non-self-governing,’ has been a point of contention between Morocco and the Algeria-backed Polisario Front for nearly five decades.

French investment in Morocco is expected to surge following the resolution of the 2021-2022 visa crisis, during which France halved visa issuance to Moroccans. Rabat retaliated by blocking repatriation of irregular migrants and redirecting commercial ties toward other European partners.

The potential highlight of the visit could be a state visit by King Mohammed VI to France, accompanied by the signing of a comprehensive Franco-Moroccan treaty. While French and Moroccan foreign ministers announced the principle of such a visit in late May, no date has been set. The last Moroccan monarch to visit France was in March 2000, when Mohammed VI undertook a three-day trip to strengthen bilateral cooperation.