Morocco denies scheduled visit by French President Macron following diplomatic discrepancy
Shafaq News/ On Saturday, the Moroccan Foreign Ministry responded to statements made by the French Foreign Minister, who had announced that President Emmanuel Macron received an invitation from Morocco's King to visit the country.
The Moroccan government stated that such a visit "is neither included in the agenda nor programmed."
The official Moroccan government source, as cited by the Maghreb Arab News Agency, expressed surprise at the French Foreign Minister's assertion. The source remarked that it was a unilateral initiative by the French official, emphasizing that the announcement had been made without prior consultation on this significant bilateral matter.
Last year, Morocco postponed President Macron's planned visit on multiple occasions, and relations between the two nations have cooled in recent years due to the contentious issue of Western Sahara. Morocco has urged France to recognize Western Sahara as part of Moroccan territory, a stance that has encountered opposition from several countries sympathetic to the Kingdom.
In a speech addressing the Moroccan people last year, King Mohammed VI emphasized his country's perspective, stating that Morocco views the world through the "glasses" of the Sahara.
Notably, while Morocco accepted aid from various countries, including Spain, the UK, Qatar, and the UAE, the country did not respond to France's offer of assistance following the devastating earthquake that struck the region near Marrakesh last week.
