French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna stated yesterday that it is up to Morocco to request French aid for earthquake victims, and stated that France is willing to help if asked.
Paris and Rabat have had a difficult relationship in recent years, especially over the issue of Western Sahara, which Morocco wants France to recognize as Moroccan. Morocco has not had an ambassador in Paris since January.
“This is a misplaced controversy,” Colonna told BFM television when asked why Morocco had not officially requested urgent help from Paris, despite having accepted help from Spain, the United Kingdom, Qatar and United Arab Emirates.
“We are willing to help Morocco. It is a sovereign decision of Morocco and it is up to them to decide,” she said.
Paris has made five million euros ($5.4 million) available to NGOs operating in Morocco, Colonna said. French representatives have repeatedly tried to downplay any rift between the two countries, but President Emmanuel Macron's visit has been postponed several times in the last year.
Colonna confirmed that King Mohamed VI of Morocco was in France when the earthquake occurred, in which at least four French citizens died.
Paris has also walked a diplomatic tightrope with Rabat as it seeks to improve relations with Algeria, Morocco's traditional rival and another of Paris's former colonies. Algeria supports the Polisario Front, an organization that has been fighting for the independence of Western Sahara for decades and is based in the Algerian Tindouf.
France has more than 51,000 citizens living in Morocco, according to data from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
According to the Immigration and Demography Observatory, a Moroccan diaspora of approximately 1.5 million people lives in France, and of them 670,000 have dual nationality.
