On Thursday, January 29, 2026, in Rabat, Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch welcomed a high-level French parliamentary delegation led by Yaël Braun-Pivet, President of the National Assembly, and Gérard Larcher, President of the Senate, during their official visit to the Kingdom.
This meeting coincided with the participation of the French parliamentary delegation in the fifth session of the Moroccan-French Parliamentary Forum, taking place on January 29 and 30 in Rabat, which aims to enhance cooperation between the two legislative bodies and strengthen friendly relations between the two countries.
The meeting was attended by Minister of Equipment and Water Nizar Baraka, Minister of Youth, Culture and Communication Mohamed Mehdi Bensaid, Minister Delegate for Relations with Parliament and Government Spokesperson Mustafa Baitas, as well as the French Ambassador to Morocco, Christophe Lecourtier.
At the outset of the discussions, both sides praised the strong historical ties between Morocco and France, affirming that these relations have undergone a qualitative shift since October 2024, following the signing of the “Exceptional Close Partnership” declaration by His Majesty King Mohammed VI and French President Emmanuel Macron, along with accompanying investment agreements valued at nearly €10 billion, covering various strategic sectors.
The Prime Minister emphasized that France’s recognition of Morocco’s sovereignty over its southern provinces, coupled with the successive visits of French officials to these areas, reflects Paris’s clear support for the autonomy initiative under Moroccan sovereignty as the only feasible solution to this fabricated regional conflict. This also opens new avenues for cooperation and coordination regarding regional and international issues and strengthens economic partnership between the two countries.
The meeting also provided an opportunity to reaffirm the importance of the Moroccan-French Parliamentary Forum as a strategic platform for dialogue and exchanging views between parliamentarians of both nations, contributing to the coordination of positions and discussion of various issues of mutual interest, thereby enhancing political and institutional closeness between Rabat and Paris.
