Rabat – France’s Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Jean-Noel Barrot, will hold high-level talks in Rabat today with senior officials, including Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita.
He will also take part in the 2nd Ministerial Conference on Peacekeeping in Francophone Environments.
“The visit forms part of the deepening of the ‘enhanced exceptional partnership’ between Morocco and France,” a statement from the French Foreign Affairs Ministry said.
The visit will also allow for a working session between Bourita and his French counterpart to prepare several “major bilateral milestones and exchange views on regional issues of common interest,” the statement added.
Barrot’s official trip also comes within the framework of the 2nd Ministerial Conference on Peacekeeping in Francophone Environments. Morocco and France will co-chair the event.
The second edition focuses on providing concrete recommendations to address peacekeeping challenges in Francophone contexts, the statement said, with the event bringing around 50 delegations from across the world.
“This conference will allow for high-level exchanges on the challenges of peacekeeping in Francophone environments, in an international context marked by numerous crises. Several themes will be addressed,” the statement concluded.
Morocco and France share good bilateral relations, especially after Paris’ 2024 decision to recognize Moroccan sovereignty over its southern provinces and territorial integrity.
France also supports Morocco’s Autonomy Plan as the most serious and credible political framework to end the dispute over Western Sahara.
Since then, the two countries have sought to boost cooperation at all levels, including in security and trade.
During his state visit in October 2024, French President Emmanuel Macron renewed his support for Morocco’s position. The visit also marked the signing of 22 agreements spanning multiple sectors from transport and energy to cultural cooperation.
Morocco is a key contributor to peacekeeping. According to the UN peacekeeping official website, Morocco’s peacekeeping contributions by mission and personnel type as of December 2022 include 914 troops in the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the Congo, or MONUSCO.
Morocco also deploys 748 troops in the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA); 27 police in the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), 17 staff officers in the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA); and two police officers in the UN peacekeeping force in Abyei, among several other UN missions.
Over 74,000 Moroccan peacekeepers have participated in 14 UN peacekeeping missions.
