UPDATE WITH MACRON'S CANCELLATION OF TRIP TO MAURITIUS
By Necva Tastan Sevinc
ISTANBUL (AA) - French President Emmanuel Macron and his Malagasy counterpart Andry Rajoelina have announced the signing of several economic agreements, as Macron began a two-day state visit to Madagascar aimed at deepening bilateral ties.
Speaking in the capital Antananarivo, Madagascar, Macron unveiled on Wednesday a series of deals across key sectors including energy, digital infrastructure, tourism, and strategic minerals, in a bid to bolster cooperation with the Indian Ocean island nation, TV5 Monde reported.
"Several important agreements have been signed in energy, digital, connectivity, infrastructure and tourism," Macron said.
He added that France would also provide financial backing through the French Development Agency (AFD) and a loan from the French Treasury for the long-delayed construction of the Volobe hydroelectric dam in eastern Madagascar.
Rajoelina welcomed France’s continued engagement, calling Paris to "invest even more" in Madagascar, which he described as holding "immense potential."
In 2024, France was Madagascar’s top export destination and its third-largest supplier.
Macron pledged continued support to secure wheat supplies and renovate colonial-era railway lines. He also expressed interest in forging a partnership on the extraction and processing of strategic rare earth minerals found on the island.
It marked the first visit by a French president to Madagascar since 2005 and the second-ever official state visit since the country’s independence.
The two leaders confirmed that a Franco-Malagasy joint commission will meet in Paris on June 30 to discuss the issue. Paris has signaled a preference for a "co-management" arrangement.
"Madagascar and France have agreed to work together to find a solution to the question," Rajoelina said.
Macron, accompanied by his wife Brigitte Macron, arrived on Wednesday in Madagascar as part of a regional tour across the southwest Indian Ocean.
He began the trip Monday in Mayotte and is expected to take part in the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC) summit of heads of state in Antananarivo on Thursday, where he will advocate for Mayotte’s integration into the organization.
Macron was due to travel to Mauritius at the end of a week-long visit to the region, but he has cancelled the last leg of his trip to attend the funeral of Pope Francis on Saturday.
The papal funeral is expected to draw dozens of world leaders, will be held at St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City.