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France's Macron, Moroccan king cement reconciliation with service offers

Morocco accepted buy highspeed trains from French company Alstom on Monday, among a series of organization deals signed during President Emmanuel Macron's state check out to the kingdom as the two nations turn the page on years of diplomatic tensions.

Paris and Rabat have actually had a difficult relationship in the past three years - significantly over migration problems and over the contested area of Western Sahara, which Morocco desires the worldwide neighborhood to acknowledge as Moroccan.

After walking a tightrope to prevent outraging Morocco's competitor Algeria, Macron backed Morocco's position on Western Sahara in July, leading the way for the reconciliation. Macron is travelling with a lots ministers and some 40 company executives.

In an uncommon honour to a foreign visitor, King Mohammed VI, walking with a cane, came to welcome Macron and his wife Brigitte at the airport on Monday, before the contract-signing ceremony at the Moroccan royal palace.

France was rewarded with a deal in between Morocco's rail operator ONCF and France's Alstom to acquire 12 high-speed carriages and a choice for a further 6 as Morocco seeks to expand an existing line farther south to Marrakech by 2030.

French energy companies Engie and EDF also signed offers to expand in the renewable energy sector, while TotalEnergies signed a deal on hydrogen, although no quantity was right away disclosed. Shipping company CMA CGM likewise revealed investments in a Moroccan port terminal.

French officials said contracts for both sides were worth more than 10 billion euros ($ 10.8 billion) overall however did not reveal a precise breakdown.

France was likewise hoping the check out will solve tensions over migration, which is a particularly hot problem in France, where the federal government is under pressure from conservative celebrations to send back more undesirable migrants to nations like Morocco.

In 2021, Paris had actually chosen to dramatically cut the number of visas it awards North African visitors, in a quote to pressure these nations to help with the return of those migrants.

The policy had deeply aggrieved Morocco, and France ultimately ended visa constraints in 2022.

(source: Reuters)