French FM Barrot in Rabat to boost Morocco France partnership

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot is expected in Rabat on Wednesday to co-chair, alongside his Moroccan counterpart Nasser Bourita, the Second Ministerial Conference on Peacekeeping in Francophone Environments. António Guterres is also expected to take part in the meeting.

On the sidelines of the conference, Barrot will hold talks with Bourita on ways to further strengthen the framework of the «enhanced exceptional partnership» between Morocco and France. «Together, they will prepare several major bilateral milestones and exchange views on regional issues of shared interest», the French Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Bourita and Barrot last met in Paris in October, on the sidelines of the 4th Ministerial Conference on Feminist Foreign Policies. Rabat and Paris are expected to finalize a strategic partnership agreement this year, which would mark the first such accord between France and a country outside the European Union.

The project was first announced by Emmanuel Macron in October 2024 during a speech before the Moroccan Parliament in Rabat.