¿Qué podemos esperar de la cumbre económica entre Marruecos y Estados Unidos?
On 29 March, Moroccans and Americans will meet virtually to discuss economic measures to benefit the southern regions of Laayoune Sakia El Hambra and Dakhla Oued-Eddahab. The Moroccan participants will receive training on digital economy, artificial intelligence or marketing to modernise their businesses. The aim is to boost local investment throughout the African country, especially in the southern regions. This summit is part of the Moroccan-US network and can be followed live on the Morocco21 platform.
Relations between Morocco and the United States remain friendly and cooperative. In November, former President Donald Trump officially recognised Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara in the midst of escalating tensions. Also, in early March, the two countries conducted joint naval exercises in the Atlantic off the coast of Sidi Ifni. These operations were carried out as part of the Lightning Handshake 2021 pact, which seeks to guarantee security in the region. Previously, in 2020, during Defence Secretary Mark Esper's visit to the Alawite kingdom, Washington and Rabat signed an agreement for cooperation in the strategic military, arms and intelligence fields. On the political front, in addition to recognising Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara, the Trump administration also succeeded in getting Morocco to establish diplomatic relations with Israel, in addition to recognising it as a state.
With this meeting, it is hoped that relations between the two countries will be strengthened, especially on the economic front. Moroccan participants will benefit from the Americans' experience, learning mechanisms that they can then put into practice in regions of the country where they are needed. The US will be able to maintain its hegemony in North Africa thanks to its good relations with Morocco. It will also be able to compete against China's growing influence in the region.
This summit is the first since Joe Bien won the elections. It is believed that relations between Washington and Rabat will not change under the Biden administration, i.e. they will continue on the same path as under Donald Trump. This was demonstrated in January when a US delegation led by Under Secretary of State for the Middle East David Schinker visited Dakhla. Dakhla lies south of Western Sahara and is one of the areas targeted for benefit at the 29 March summit. The visit served to reiterate US support for Morocco on the Western Sahara issue and to look for a building to serve as a US consulate in Dakhla. Fischer assures that there will soon be "a permanent presence" in the area. Therefore, measures agreed at the economic summit on 29 March that affect Dakhla can be monitored in person in the future when Washington establishes a consulate in this strategic region.
This visit, coupled with the summit to be held, strengthens the good relations between the US and Morocco. It also demonstrates that regardless of who the US president is, the US-Moroccan network is consolidated and cooperates in many areas.