Blinken volverá a viajar a Marruecos el próximo mes de mayo
Morocco and the United States are continuing the good relationship they have maintained in recent times. After several visits, Antony Blinken, the US Secretary of State, has announced a new trip to the North African nation in May. This time, the Secretary will be in charge of chairing a meeting of the International Coalition for the fight against Daesh.
The event will be held in the city of Marrakech and will be attended by several heads of diplomacy and representatives from around 80 countries, as well as some of the world's leading organisations in the field of counter-terrorism.
This International Coalition was created in 2014 and aims to neutralise and stop the feet of the terrorist group. This is done through joint military operations that are organised to be able to respond in a defensive or attacking way to any type of attack provided by Daesh. In addition, they also fight against terrorist financing and recruitment propaganda and foreign terrorist fighters. Also, these countries are responsible for assisting and stabilising areas and regions that have suffered from Daesh and have been under its control for quite some time.
"The attacks of the last few months show that Daesh can still pose a threat and appeal to certain segments of the population. I believe the coalition must include civilian initiatives to de-radicalise and stabilise liberated areas, providing social and economic conditions and opportunities for the most vulnerable local population," Blinken commented in a 2021 tweet about last year's meeting.
The news coincides with the secretary's visit to Morocco almost a month ago. Blinken began a tour of Morocco under the slogan "commitment to security and prosperity" in which he met with several high-ranking officials of the Moroccan government. During this visit, Blinken reconfirmed the good relations between the two countries, even stressing that there is a "deep and lasting relationship that unites them".
One of the areas where Morocco and the United States collaborate most closely is military matters. During the last visit, the secretary declared that the two countries have a common vision and that, therefore, several areas of cooperation are being further deepened.
"Morocco is an established partner and security provider because of its leadership in the Global Counterterrorism Forum and its supporting role in the Global Coalition to defeat Daesh," Blinken said.
It should be recalled that both Morocco and the United States hold the annual Operation African Lion, which brings together the military forces of the two countries on Maghreb territory. There, they engage in all kinds of manoeuvres to prepare in case of any kind of terrorist attack or to anticipate in case of any natural disaster that might occur.
Bilateral and diplomatic relations between the two territories are increasingly consolidated. Blinken's latest visit demonstrated the close cooperation between the two sides, as well as renewed support for Morocco on the Western Sahara issue. Blinken repeated that the Kingdom has the full support of Morocco on the sovereignty of this region. In a press release from the US Department of State, Blinken described the Moroccan autonomy plan as "serious, credible and realistic".
Blinken also took the opportunity to meet with Nasser Bourita, the Moroccan Foreign Minister. At this meeting in Rabat, the problem caused by the conflict in Western Sahara was discussed again, as well as the tripartite agreement with Israel to create joint projects and foster collaboration.
Blinken also praised Morocco's fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, in which he said he would offer his country's support in terms of vaccination and the creation of campaigns to encourage people to get inoculated. He also highlighted the Kingdom's work against climate change thanks to the creation of pioneering projects in renewable energies that are bringing great benefits to the country.
Americas Coordinator: José Antonio Sierra.