Upon their arrival in the Rabat-Salé Airport, the French Head of State and Ms. Brigitte Macron were welcomed by His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God Assist Him, accompanied by HRH Crown Prince Moulay El Hassan, HRH Prince Moulay Rachid and TRH Princesses Lalla Khadija and Lalla Meryem.
HM the King, accompanied by HRH Crown Prince Moulay El Hassan and HRH Prince Moulay Rachid, and His illustrious guest proceeded to the VIP stand to salute the national flags to the sound of the two countries' national anthems, while a 21-gun salute sounded to welcome the French President.
HM the King, accompanied by HRH Crown Prince Moulay El Hassan and HRH Prince Moulay Rachid, and the French Head of State then reviewed a detachment of the Royal Guard who made the honors.
At the entrance to the Royal Lounge at Rabat-Salé airport, the French Head of State and Ms Brigitte Macron were invited to the traditional ceremony of milk and date offering.
After a brief pause, the procession headed for the Royal Palace in Rabat. Residents of Salé and Rabat lined the route taken by the official procession to express their delight at this first day of the state visit, which will add a new milestone to the age-old friendly relations between the two countries and peoples.
The main streets of the Royal Procession were decorated with Moroccan and French flags.
In a gesture of warmth and spontaneity, His Majesty King Mohammed VI kindly paused the procession to join the French President in greeting the crowds, eliciting joyful cheers from onlookers.
Arriving at the “Bab Assoufara” gate, the procession of HM the King and His illustrious guest was escorted by the fanfare and cavalry of the Royal Guard to the Mechouar Square at the Royal Palace.
The Royal Guard, which escorts HM the King's procession when the Sovereign welcomes distinguished guests, made this official and popular ceremony reserved for the French President in the Kingdom's capital special and commensurate with the deep ties between Morocco and France.
At the Mechouar Square, French President Emmanuel Macron was greeted by the Head of Government, the Speakers of the two Houses of Parliament, HM the King’s Advisors, the Deputy President of the High Council of the Judiciary, the First President of the Court of Cassation, the King’s Attorney General at the Court of Cassation, the President of the Public Prosecutor’s Office, members of the government, the High Commissioner for Planning, the High Commissioner for Former Resistance Fighters and Former Members of the Liberation Army, the President of the Constitutional Court, the President of the Court of Auditors, the President of the Economic, Social and Environmental Council, the Secretary General of the Higher Council of Ulema, the President of the Higher Council for Education, Training and Scientific Research, the President of the National Council for Human Rights, the Ombudsman of the Kingdom, the President of the High Authority for Audiovisual Communication, the President of the Competition Council, the President of the National Authority for Probity, Prevention and Fight against Corruption, the President of the Royal Advisory Council for Saharan Affairs and the HM the King’s Chamberlain.
The French Head of State was also greeted by the Director of the Royal Court, the chargés de mission at the Royal Office, the dean of the diplomatic corps accredited to Morocco, the heads of European diplomatic missions accredited to Morocco, the senior officers of the General Staff of the Royal Armed Forces, the director general of National Security and Director General of Territorial Surveillance and the Director General of Studies and Documentation, as well as by the Wali of the Rabat-Salé-Kénitra region, Governor of the Rabat prefecture and the elected officials of the region.
Subsequently, HM King Mohammed VI was greeted by members of the official French delegation accompanying President Emmanuel Macron during this visit, including Bruno Retailleau, Minister of the Interior, Anne Genetet, Minister of National Education, Jean-Noël Barrot, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Rachida Dati, Minister of Culture, Sébastien Lecornu, Minister of the Armed Forces and Veterans, Antoine Armand, Minister of Economy, Finance and Industry, Annie Genevard, Minister of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forests, Patrick Hetzel, Minister of Higher Education and Research, Olga Givernet, Minister Delegate attached to the Minister for the Ecological Transition, Energy, Climate and Risk Prevention, Minister Delegate for Energy.
The delegation also includes Thani Mohamed Soilihi, Minister of State attached to the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, in charge of Francophonie and International Partnerships, Naïma Moutchou, Member of Parliament for Val-d’Oise (4th constituency) and Vice-Speaker of the National Assembly, Bruno Fuchs, Member of Parliament for Haut-Rhin (6th constituency) and President of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Karim Ben Cheikh, Member of Parliament for French Expatriates (9th constituency) and former President of the France-Morocco Friendship Group of the National Assembly, Christian Cambon, Senator for Val-de-Marne (Île-de-France) and President of the France-Morocco Friendship Group of the Senate, as well as several personalities from the worlds of business, culture and sport.
HM King Mohammed VI was also greeted by Christophe Lecourtier, French Ambassador to Morocco, and members of the French Embassy in Rabat.
The French Head of State was then greeted by members of the honorary committee, which included the Minister of National Land Use Planning, Urban Development, Housing and Urban Policy, Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri, and HM the King's ambassador to Paris, Samira Sitail.
The two Heads of State made their way to the Royal Office, where His Majesty King Mohammed VI, accompanied by HRH Crown Prince Moulay El Hassan, HRH Prince Moulay Rachid, and TRH Princesses Lalla Khadija and Lalla Meryem, and the President of the French Republic, H.E. Mr. Emmanuel Macron, and his spouse Ms. Brigitte Macron posed for a family photo.