Moroccan King’s sisters guests to a luncheon hosted by France’s First Lady at the Elysée

The three sisters of King Mohammed VI, Princesses Lalla Meryem, Lalla Asmae and Lalla Hasnaa, were guests to a luncheon hosted in their honor by France’s First Lady Brigitte Macron at the Elysée on Monday.

The official statement announcing the news pointed out that “This luncheon is part of the continuity of the historic friendship relations between the Kingdom of Morocco and the French Republic.”

The Princesses’ reception at the Elysée comes after several statements from French senior officials and diplomats, including the new Foreign Minister, Stéphane Séjourné, and the Ambassador of France to Rabat, Christophe Lecourtier.

In these statements, representatives of the Quai d’Orsay expressed desire to warm up relations with Morocco and affirmed France’s commitment to bridging the gap and rebuilding trust between the two nations. They emphasized the importance of the relationship between Rabat and Paris for the French government and acknowledged and regretted “the errors and misunderstandings that have strained relationship between the two countries” during the past two years.

Actually, ties between Morocco and France worsened in the two past years against the backdrop of a series of events, notably Paris falling short of following the USA’s full recognition of Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara, maneuvers by French MPs against Moroccan interests at the European parliament, and Macron’s Algiers tropism.
Stéphane Séjourné, who assumed office in January, expressed President Macron’s personal directive to improve French-Moroccan ties, and emphasized the need to start a new chapter in their relationship.

“The Republic’s President has personally asked me to invest in French-Moroccan relations to open a new chapter in our ties. I will be committed to that,” Sejourne said.

“Now, it is time to move forward. I will do everything in the upcoming weeks and months so that France and Morocco get closer,” he said, adding that his priority will be “rebuilding trust.”