The 15th session of the Morocco-France High-Level Meeting (HLM) is being held this Thursday, July 16, in Rabat, co-chaired by Head of Government Aziz Akhannouch and French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu.
In his opening remarks during the plenary session, Lecornu first expressed, on behalf of the French delegation and government, his thanks to King Mohammed VI for the welcome extended to the delegation since the previous evening, for the bilateral meetings held earlier in the day, and for the moment of remembrance at the Mausoleum of Mohammed V in honor of the late Mohammed V and the late Hassan II.
He described the meeting as a “turning point,” recalling that the high-level meetings were established more than 30 years ago during the state visit of the late Hassan II to create interministerial, political, diplomatic, economic, cultural and agricultural ties between the two countries and to establish a dedicated framework for bilateral governance. He noted that the last HLM held in Morocco took place in 2017 and the last meeting between the two countries in 2019, adding that it was essential to resume this agenda despite the complexity of France’s domestic political context.
Lecornu also referred to the French president’s state visit to Morocco in October 2024 at the invitation of King Mohammed VI, recalling that he attended at the time as Minister of the Armed Forces. He said numerous decisions were taken during that visit, accompanied by a commitment to a “change of scale in the bilateral relationship.” He added that instructions issued by the two heads of state since then had led to around 20 visits by Moroccan ministers to France and 16 visits by French ministers to Morocco.
Toward an “unprecedented friendship treaty”
The French prime minister said the meeting would provide an opportunity to review the decisions taken by the two heads of state and draw conclusions on several public policy issues discussed during the bilateral meeting earlier in the day, including security and counterterrorism in the face of global instability. He announced that this phase should pave the way for the future state visit of King Mohammed VI to France, which could lead to an “unprecedented” friendship treaty, going beyond the enhanced exceptional partnership established during the French president’s state visit.
Les travaux de la 15ème session de la Réunion de haut niveau (RHN) Maroc- France se sont ouverts, jeudi à Rabat, sous la coprésidence du Chef du gouvernement, Aziz Akhannouch, et du Premier ministre français, Sébastien Lecornu.
Lecornu said his presence in Rabat, accompanied by a large ministerial delegation, reflected the shared ambition to “change the scale of the bilateral relationship” between the two countries while also strengthening cooperation within the European Union, where he said Morocco and France should serve as “an anchoring point,” and across Africa, citing security, demographic and environmental challenges.
He concluded by saying the meeting should enable the two heads of state to make historic decisions in the coming weeks and months, adding that he was pleased, both officially and personally, to be in Rabat alongside the head of government.
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Earlier, Aziz Akhannouch held talks with Sébastien Lecornu. On the Moroccan side, the meeting was attended by Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates Nasser Bourita and Morocco’s ambassador to France, Samira Sitail. France was represented by Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noël Barrot and French Ambassador to Morocco Philippe Lalliot.
At the start of the talks, Akhannouch said the High-Level Meeting was taking place within the framework of a new dynamic in Morocco-France relations initiated by King Mohammed VI and French President Emmanuel Macron during the latter’s state visit to the Kingdom in October 2024. He said the enhanced exceptional partnership established during that visit had opened a new chapter in relations between the two countries.
The head of government said the 15th Morocco-France High-Level Meeting serves as a governmental mechanism to monitor and steer the enhanced exceptional partnership, assess progress in implementing the commitments agreed upon at the highest level, and identify new flagship projects that will shape the next phase of Morocco-France relations. He added that the meeting comes at a time of unprecedented strengthening of political relations between the Kingdom and France following the evolution of France’s position on the Moroccan Sahara issue.
The French prime minister and the accompanying delegation also visited the Mohammed V Mausoleum in Rabat, where they paid tribute at the tombs of the late King Mohammed V and the late King Hassan II.
He laid a wreath at the tombs of the two late monarchs before signing the mausoleum’s guestbook. During the visit, he received explanations about the architectural significance of the landmark.
Le Premier ministre français, Sébastien Lecornu, et la délégation l'accompagnant ont visité, jeudi, le mausolée Mohammed V à Rabat
Following the plenary session, Morocco and France are set to sign 14 agreements, conventions and letters of intent spanning diplomacy, education, culture, science and defense.
In the diplomatic sphere, the two countries will sign a letter of intent on cooperation in feminist foreign policy. Civil aviation will also feature, with an annex to the technical arrangement between the two administrations.
In the maritime sector, France’s National Maritime Academy (ENSM) and Morocco’s Higher Institute of Maritime Studies (ISEM) will conclude a partnership agreement. Two loan agreements will also be signed with the French Development Agency (AFD), one concerning the Rabat regional express rail network and the other covering water policy.
Education will be the subject of a declaration of intent on the teaching of Arabic and history-geography within the French education network. The cultural component will include a strategic partnership agreement between the Arab World Institute and the Ministry of Youth, Culture and Communication, alongside a letter of intent on artist residencies and another on Morocco’s participation in the Fund for African Authors and Producers.
Scientific cooperation will be strengthened through a proposed framework agreement between CIRAD and the Hassan II Agronomic and Veterinary Institute (IAV). La Poste Group and Barid Al-Maghrib will also sign a cooperation agreement, while CEREMA and the Public Laboratory for Testing and Studies (LPEE) will conclude a framework cooperation agreement.
Defense cooperation will also feature prominently, with the adoption of terms of reference for the bilateral “defense industry” committee and a technical arrangement on military archives.
Following the official luncheon, the motorcade is expected to travel to Rabat-Salé Airport, where the aircraft carrying the French delegation is scheduled to depart for Paris after an official farewell ceremony on the tarmac.
The meeting is attended on the Moroccan side by Interior Minister Abdelouafi Laftit; Minister of Economy and Finance Nadia Fettah; Minister of Industry and Trade Ryad Mezzour; Minister of National Education, Preschool and Sports Mohamed Saad Berrada; Minister of Agriculture, Maritime Fisheries, Rural Development and Water and Forests Ahmed El Bouari; Minister of Transport and Logistics Abdessamad Kayouh; Minister of Youth, Culture and Communication Mohamed Mehdi Bensaid; Minister Delegate in charge of National Defense Administration Abdeltif Loudiyi; Minister Delegate in charge of Digital Transition and Administrative Reform Amal El Fallah Seghrouchni; and Secretary of State for Foreign Trade Omar Hjira.
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The French delegation includes Interior Minister Laurent Nunez; Minister of Economy, Finance and Industrial, Energy and Digital Sovereignty Roland Lescure; Minister Delegate for Vocational Education, Training and Apprenticeships Sabrina Roubache; Minister Delegate for Francophonie, International Partnerships and French Nationals Abroad Éléonore Caroit; Minister of Agriculture Annie Genevard; Minister of Transport Philippe Tabarot; Minister of Culture Catherine Pégard; Minister of the Armed Forces and Veterans Catherine Vautrin; Minister Delegate for Artificial Intelligence and Digital Affairs Anne Le Henanff; and Minister Delegate for Foreign Trade and Attractiveness Nicolas Forissier.
Thursday’s program began with the delegation’s visit to the Mohammed V Mausoleum before proceeding to the Head of Government’s Department. The delegation then headed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates for the plenary session, co-chaired by Aziz Akhannouch and Sébastien Lecornu in the Balafrej Hall.
