Overview
- Sébastien Lecornu arrived in Rabat on Wednesday, July 15, leading a delegation of about a dozen ministers to a two-day intergovernmental meeting that will produce accords on the economy, justice and defense.
- Paris and Rabat plan to sign around a dozen to fifteen agreements covering projects such as a Rabat regional rail (RER) line, an electricity interconnection and defense partnerships that include armament cooperation.
- Security cooperation is front and center as France seeks Moroccan support on intelligence and counter‑terrorism in the Sahel, a region where jihadist threats and instability are driving renewed French engagement.
- France’s interior minister is scheduled to press for the possible extradition of Franco‑Moroccan suspect Ismael Benahmed, accused in a 2019 Paris murder and recently arrested in Morocco, making judicial cooperation an immediate operational priority.
- The trip takes place against reports of restrictions on freedom of expression in Morocco and new media probes into alleged Pegasus spyware use, issues that could complicate deeper ties even as Paris positions Rabat as its main Maghreb partner after France’s 2024 recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara.