The French Prime Minister, Sébastien Lecornu, arrived in the Moroccan capital Rabat, in a visit of a special nature, expected to pave the way for a new chapter in relations between the two countries.

Lecornu is accompanied by 12 ministers from his government, including the ministers of foreign affairs and interior, and ministers from economic sectors.

The French official held an initial meeting with his counterpart, Moroccan Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch, who received him at the Rabat-Salé airport upon his arrival, in the first official working visit abroad for Sébastien Lecornu since he took office in September 2025.

The files of the French Prime Minister's visit include several areas, foremost among them strengthening political and diplomatic relations, ahead of a expected 'state visit' at the end of the year by Moroccan King Mohammed VI to France, which is expected to witness the signing of a strategic partnership treaty.

The Moroccan and French sides held, on Thursday, a meeting of the 15th session of the Joint High Ministerial Committee between the two countries, the first of its kind in seven years, as the last meeting was held in 2019.

The meeting was crowned by the signing of 12 agreements and memoranda of understanding in various aspects of cooperation between the two countries, covering diplomacy, economy, industry, agriculture, trade, culture, education, air, rail and maritime transport, port development, and the water sector.

Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch said in a statement on Thursday in Rabat that the signed agreements are an initial implementation of the roadmap signed by the two countries' leaders in October 2024, and reinforce previously signed agreements during the French President's visit to Morocco.

For his part, French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu stressed that the strategic friendship treaty being prepared, which will be signed by the Moroccan King and the French President, is the first for France from outside the European Union.

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Lecornu praised the bilateral security cooperation that thwarted several drug trafficking attempts and prevented terrorist threats.

The visit of the French delegation to Morocco is the highest of its kind since a historic visit by French President Emmanuel Macron in October 2024, which lasted three days and broke a three-year stalemate between the two countries due to diplomatic and media crises, and concluded with dozens of agreements worth about 10 billion euros.

Royal and popular massive reception for the French President in Rabat

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Royal and popular massive reception for the French President in Rabat

The breakthrough in relations between the two countries began after French President Emmanuel Macron announced his country's official recognition of Morocco's sovereignty over the Sahara in July 2024.

The two countries are focusing on strengthening diplomatic relations and consolidating the level of their strong economic ties, as the latest statistics show that trade between them reached 15 billion euros in 2025, supported by several vital economic sectors.