HM the King, President Macron Laid Foundations for ‘Genuine Overhaul of Strategic Partnership’ – French FM

His Majesty King Mohammed VI and the French President, H.E. Mr. Emmanuel Macron, have laid the foundations for a “genuine overhaul of the strategic partnership” between the two countries, the French Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs, Jean-Noël Barrot, said on Tuesday in Rabat, during the French President’s State visit to the Kingdom at the invitation of the Sovereign. “This is the aspiration of the Declaration signed by the two Heads of State on Monday, to build and implement a reinforced exceptional partnership in all areas, with three major goals”, said Barrot at a press briefing following his talks with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates, Nasser Bourita. These three goals are political convergence in the face of major contemporary challenges, the deepening of economic partnership, particularly in strategic sectors, and the strengthening of cooperation in the fields of human links, human capital and culture, he added. The head of French diplomacy also stressed that the relationship between Morocco and France “is rooted in a shared memory and a common heritage,” in human ties with some 700,000 Moroccans living in France and nearly 80,000 French nationals in Morocco, as well as in economic ties, with France the leading investor in the Kingdom, with over 1,000 subsidiaries of its companies contributing to nearly 150,000 jobs, and Morocco the leading African investor in France. In this context, he stressed the need to turn “this rich partnership” towards the future, recalling the 22 bilateral agreements signed on Monday under the chairmanship of His Majesty the King and the French President, in addition to the twenty or so other agreements sealed on Tuesday at the Morocco-France business meeting. These agreements cover areas as varied as the integration of value chains and industrial ecosystems, green energy, infrastructure, youth, innovation, migration management and Africa, “for which Morocco has always been the natural gateway for France and Europe”, as Barrot emphasized. It is in Africa that “a large part of our future is at stake, and where we must be able to invest together for progress,” the French Minister stressed.