On Monday, Catherine Colonna, the foreign minister of France, said that it was up to Morocco whether to seek France’s assistance in dealing with its deadliest earthquake in more than six decades and said Paris was willing to assist if asked.
Morocco and France have had a problematic relationship in the last years notably over the matter of Western Sahara, which Rabat wants Paris to recognize as Moroccan. Morocco has not had an ambassador in Paris since January.
“This is a misplaced controversy,” French FM Catherine Colonna told BFM television when asked why Morocco had not made an official bid to France for urgent aid despite getting help from Spain, Britain, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.
“We are willing to support Morocco. It’s a sovereign Moroccan decision and it’s up to them to determine,” she said.
Colonna added that France has made 5 million euros ($5.4 million) available for non-governmental organizations working in Morocco.
French officials have often attempted to play down any split between the two nations, but a visit by President Emmanuel Macron has been postponed several times over the last year.
Morocco’s King Mohammed VI was in France when the earthquake struck, Colonna said.
Gerald Darmanin, the Interior Minister told France 2 earlier on Monday that Rabat, a “brotherly” country, could manage alone with the rescue measures.
Paris has also walked a diplomatic tightrope with Rabat as it aimed to enhance its links with Algeria, Morocco’s arch-rival, and another of Paris’ former colonies. Algiers supports the Polisario Front, a group that has opposed for decades for freedom for Western Sahara.
Four French residents died in the quake that killed more than 2,000 people.
According to foreign ministry figures, France had more than 51,000 people residing in Morocco.
