King Mohammed VI received on Wednesday the second round of ambassadors who came to hand over their credentials as plenipotentiary and extraordinary ambassadors of their countries in the Kingdom, including French Ambassador Christophe Lecourtier and American Puneet Talwar. The first round took place on Monday at Royal Palace.
His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God protect him, received, on Wednesday, the credentials of the French Ambassador, Christopher Lecourtier, the Paris Ambassador to Rabat, who has been waiting for this meeting for about a year since his appointment last December, while the coldness in relations between the two countries has deepened following the French President’s transgression. Emmanuel Macron defied diplomatic norms by addressing the Moroccan people recently after the Kingdom rejected assistance offered by Paris to overcome the effects of the Al Haouz earthquake, an act that sparked widespread condemnation among all Moroccans.
The French ambassador said in a blog post on the ‘X’ platform, “It is a great feeling that His Majesty King Mohammed VI receives me today to give him my credentials and to express the respect and admiration inspired by the development that Morocco has witnessed in recent years.”
C'est une très grande émotion d'avoir été reçu aujourd'hui par Sa Majesté le Roi Mohammed VI pour lui remettre mes lettres de créance et lui exprimer le respect et l'admiration qu'inspire le développement du Maroc de ces dernières années. pic.twitter.com/qYvsl8sm41
— Christophe Lecourtier (@clecourtier) October 4, 2023
In this second batch, also validated was the accreditation of ambassadors from the Kingdom of Sweden, the Republic of Austria, the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Republic of South Sudan, Ukraine, the Portuguese Republic, the Republic of Burkina Faso, Kingdom of Thailand, the Republic of Cabo Verde, the Federative Republic of Brazil, the Republic of Finland, and the Islamic Republic of Mauritania.
Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita received, on Dec. 30 2022 in Rabat, Mr. Lecourtier, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the French Republic to Morocco. Lecourtier landed in Morocco to replace the previous French ambassador Hélène Le Gal, who was recalled due to the ongoing tension between the two countries.
Le Gal’s tenure ended in September 2022 amid strained relations between the two countries due to the 50% reduction of French-issued Schengen visas granted to Moroccans, and to France’s ambiguous position over the Sahara issue.
After the withdrawal of Le Gal, Morocco ended Mohamed Benchaaboun’s mandate as Moroccan ambassador to France on Jan 19, and made that decision public via an official bulletin issued on February 2, after being appointed as director of the Mohammed VI Investment Fund in October 2022.
Puneet, American Ambassador to the Kingdom, was appointed last November, replacing David T. Fischer who left the office in 2021. The latter was in office when the U.S. recognized Moroccan sovereignty over the Sahara in December, 2020.
Fischer stated at that time that he is honored to inaugurate the U.S. Virtual Presence Post for the Sahara. “This is our first step as we build on President Trump’s historic December 10 proclamation, in which the United States recognized Moroccan sovereignty over the Sahara.”
Once appointed, Puneet stated: “American friendship with Morocco began with the early days of America when Morocco was the first country to recognize America’s independence, and I look forward to building on this legacy.”
