French President Emmanuel Macron denounced what he called “controversies that have no reason to be” after Morocco rejected offers of aid from France.
Macron reiterated his support for the Kingdom and its people while brushing aside strained relations between Paris and Rabat.
“We are at your side today and tomorrow,” Macron said in a video post published on X. “France was shocked by what happened … we are here and we are able to provide direct humanitarian aid.”
He added: “We will be there in the long term on a humanitarian level and medical level for reconstruction, for cultural and heritage aid.”
Ties with France, once a colonial ruler where many Moroccans resided, became tense after Macron sought a closer bond with Algeria.
Algeria severed its diplomatic ties with Rabat in 2021, alleging “adversarial actions”.
Morocco also expressed disappointment in France for not aligning with the US and Israel in acknowledging Western Sahara as “Moroccan territory”, even though Morocco governs nearly 80% of this contested area.
Recent data from Tuesday evening revealed that the earthquake resulted in over 2,900 fatalities and injuries escalated to above 5,500.
In the same vein, the Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed Algerian authorities that they do not require the assistance that Algeria had proposed.
This came in response to an earlier statement by the Moroccan Minister of Justice, which indicated Morocco’s acceptance of Algeria’s proposed humanitarian aid, on the condition that its delivery be coordinated with the Moroccan Foreign Ministry.
Acting on this declaration, the Algerian Foreign Ministry informed its Moroccan counterpart about the preparations undertaken by the Algerian government. They mobilized three large-capacity aircraft to transport aid consistent with the requirements of such natural disasters.
