In letters to the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and the Interior, Cambon, who is also president of the interparliamentary group of friendship between France and Morocco in the Senate, said that in recent weeks, like many of his colleagues in the Senate, he had been informed of several cases of refusal to issue visas for Moroccan nationals wishing to travel to France.
“This while the request seemed perfectly legitimate, as for example a doctor wishing to attend an international conference of medicine or a sportsman having to participate in an international competition”, he wrote to the Foreign and Interior ministers, Catherine Colonna and Gérald Darmanin, respectively.
In this type of situation, the refusal to issue a visa by the French authorities arouses “strong emotion and a legitimate lack of understanding” on the part of Moroccan nationals, the senator pointed out.
“More profoundly, the recent increase in the number of decisions by French authorities to refuse to issue visas or residence permits to Moroccan nationals could seriously damage political, economic and cultural relations with Morocco, a country that is a friend of France and an essential hub of stability in a region where risks and threats are numerous,” the French senator noted.
He added that Morocco is “a strategic partner” of France, especially in the economic and cultural fields.
“To avoid any risk of weakening our bilateral cooperation, and in particular the very important place of French companies in this country, it would therefore seem appropriate that you give the necessary instructions to your services so that they show greater discernment in the procedure for issuing visas,” he concluded.
