Intervening on the future of relations between Paris and Rabat, the diplomat highlighted French strategic interests in Morocco as a strategic partner in Africa. « France has more interests with Morocco, even on an economic level, whereas with Algeria, our interests are extremely limited, » he commented, emphasizing the failure of Emmanuel Macron’s policy favoring Algeria at the expense of the Kingdom.
He noted in this sense that Algeria has turned to China, Turkey, or Germany to the detriment of France; highlighting France’s desire to get closer to Morocco following the failure of the rapprochement with Algeria.
Xavier Driencourt also pointed out that French President Emmanuel Macron should make his first official visit to Morocco to further warm up Franco-Moroccan relations.
Regarding the French position on the Sahara issue, the former ambassador highlighted that France will eventually recognize the Moroccan sovereignty over the Sahara, which will lead to a rift with Algeria.
« We are getting closer to Morocco. And what will happen on the Algerian side? From my point of view, there are two possibilities: either we will quarrel again with the Algerians, especially if we recognize Moroccan sovereignty over the Sahara, which seems inevitable given the facts and the future of our diplomatic position. Or, to make up for this rapprochement with Rabat, we will be forced to give additional assurances to Algeria. It’s a very delicate balance. It’s a tightrope act, » he said.
Xavier Driencourt considers it likely that France will eventually recognize the Moroccan sovereignty over the Sahara, leading to potential tensions with Algeria. The evolving dynamics between France, Morocco, and Algeria will be crucial in shaping the future of diplomatic relations in the region.
