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French President Emmanuel Macron’s supposed visit to Morocco “is not on the agenda and is not scheduled,” a Moroccan government source said on Saturday.
This reaction comes hours after French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna announced in a Friday interview with the French channel LCI that Macron would soon be visiting the North African country.
“Relations between Morocco and France are old. They are marked with a deep friendship,” Colonna told the French channel from Cairo. “Our leaders, a few weeks ago, were talking about a state visit to Morocco, which should be carried out without a doubt.”
Morocco’s King Mohammed VI had invited Macron to the country for a state visit, the top French diplomat claimed, suggesting that the visit dates would be unveiled in the coming days.
Colonna’s comments came as Moroccans continued expressing dissatisfaction with the French media’s insensitive and condescending coverage of Morocco’s efforts to cope with the tragic aftermath of last week’s earthquake.
The devastating earthquake struck the North African country on the night of September 8, and it has so far taken nearly 3,000 lives and left over 5,500 injured.
In the immediate aftermath of the disaster, several French media outlets claimed that Morocco had French aid and questioned whether the country could handle the necessary rescue efforts without French assistance.
As Moroccans took issue with what they described as the arrogant and paternalistic attitude of the French media and political class, President Macron released a video message in which he sought to reassure Moroccans of France’ solidarity with the victims of the earthquake.
In particular, Macron stressed his government’s readiness to offer aid to Morocco and distance himself and his government from what he suggested was unnecessary controversy in trying times that necessitated solidarity and compassion.
Yet many Moroccans expressed disapproval of the video, pointing out that Macron had arrogantly breached protocol by directly addressing the Moroccan people, the preserve of the country’s monarch.
