Doha \u2013 French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau and his Moroccan counterpart Abdelouafi Laftit unveiled on Monday in Rabat the establishment of a Franco-Moroccan working group tasked with verifying the nationality of irregular migrants in France, aimed at facilitating their readmission to their countries of origin.<\/p>\n
Following extensive talks at the Moroccan Interior Ministry, Retailleau articulated<\/a> that the agreement encompasses \u201ca certain number of points\u201d designed to \u201cimprove cooperation for readmissions\u201d between the two countries.<\/p>\n \u201cThis joint group will investigate whether or not certain undocumented individuals and irregular foreign nationals are of Moroccan nationality,\u201d Retailleau elaborated.<\/p>\n He added that \u201chaving mixed French and Moroccan teams to conduct this identification work will dramatically change things and enhance readmission effectiveness.\u201d<\/p>\n In an official statement, Laftit reaffirmed \u201cthe total commitment of the Moroccan side to work toward developing a common framework.\u201d<\/p>\n He proposed establishing \u201ca new comprehensive partnership and cooperation framework\u201d based on \u201crevising all agreements\u201d between the two ministries.<\/p>\n The meeting, which convened senior officials from both countries, examined mutual interest issues and prospects for strengthening bilateral cooperation.<\/p>\n This aligns with the Enhanced Exception Partnership Declaration signed by King Mohammed VI and French President Emmanuel Macron during the latter\u2019s state visit<\/a> in October 2024.<\/p>\n Both ministers lauded the robust foundation of security and migration components in bilateral relations, which they noted is set to intensify following France\u2019s recognition<\/a> of Moroccan sovereignty over the Western Sahara in summer 2024.<\/p>\n This diplomatic breakthrough, in light of the French position affirming that \u201cthe present and future of the Sahara fall fully within the framework of Moroccan sovereignty,\u201d ended several years of tensions, particularly regarding migration issues.<\/p>\n Read also: <\/b>French Interior Minister Makes Lightning Visit to Morocco Amid Migration Talks<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n The collaboration represents a bold departure from 2021-2022, when France had halved the number of visas granted to Moroccan nationals to pressure the country into accepting more of its citizens expelled by French authorities, causing diplomatic friction.<\/p>\n During the discussions, Laftit outlined \u201cthe Kingdom\u2019s holistic and humanistic approach to migration governance.\u201d<\/p>\n He also emphasized \u201cthe importance of work conducted by the Permanent Morocco-France Mixed Migration Group, a reference mechanism for smooth handling of operational challenges.\u201d<\/p>\n The ministers concurred on \u201cthe need to expand and strengthen bilateral cooperation,\u201d including civil protection and major event management.<\/p>\n Their security services\u2019 collaboration has already yielded notable successes in containing terrorist threats and dismantling terrorist and criminal networks through close coordination and intelligence sharing.<\/p>\n The meeting follows up on previous discussions during Macron\u2019s Morocco visit last October, when the French president announced an \u201cenhanced partnership\u201d to combat illegal immigration<\/a> and various forms of trafficking.<\/p>\n A key focus remains the readmission of irregular Moroccan nationals whom France seeks to deport, a process often stalled by Rabat\u2019s delayed issuance of consular passes.<\/p>\n