French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu touched down in Rabat Wednesday evening, greeted by his Moroccan counterpart Aziz Akhannouch, for talks aimed at deepening bilateral ties ahead of a possible state visit by King Mohammed VI to Paris.

Lecornu arrived with a delegation of twelve ministers, including Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Noël Barrot and Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez. He was welcomed at the airport after 10 p.m. with full military honors by Prime Minister Akhannouch and senior Moroccan officials.

The French premier had just concluded a visit to Qatar, where he conveyed France’s condolences following the passing of former Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani. Akhannouch had also traveled to Doha to pay Morocco’s respects.

Franco-Moroccan relations have markedly improved since President Emmanuel Macron formally recognized Morocco’s sovereignty over the disputed Western Sahara territory in mid-2024, a move that strained ties with neighboring Algeria.

Macron subsequently received a lavish welcome in Rabat last October, ending three years of diplomatic frost. The trip yielded numerous trade agreements and the signing of an “exceptional strengthened partnership.”

In a July 14 greeting to Macron, Morocco’s monarch hailed the “consolidation” of the two countries’ “privileged relationship,” according to the official MAP news agency.

The strengthening partnership may soon lead to a state visit by King Mohammed VI to France, the framework of which has already been agreed upon.

On Thursday, both prime ministers will first visit the royal mausoleum before holding bilateral talks where each minister will meet their Moroccan or French counterpart.

Fifteen agreements set to be signed

They will then co-chair a fifteenth “high-level meeting” between their delegations—a forum not convened since 2019—where around fifteen agreements are expected to be signed across economic, security, migration and defense sectors, according to diplomatic sources.

The accords will cover areas such as civil aviation, the creation of a Rabat regional express rail network, water partnerships and an electricity interconnection project, the sources said.

In defense, discussions are underway on potential arms cooperation. Culturally, a strategic partnership agreement will be signed between the Arab World Institute in Paris and Morocco’s Ministry of Culture.

With Morocco now the top priority of French diplomacy in the Maghreb, Paris appears to be prioritizing Rabat over Algiers, particularly on the sensitive Sahel security file where Morocco is seen as a more reliable partner despite ongoing cooperation with Algeria.