La alianza entre Marruecos y Reino Unido se fortalece
Nasser Bourita, Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs, travelled to London to meet his British counterpart, Liz Truss, in the framework of the third session of the strategic dialogue between Morocco and the United Kingdom. During the meeting, "both parties adopted a joint political declaration and signed two decisions establishing the main bodies of the new Association Agreement", the Bourita Ministry announced on Twitter.
In this way, Rabat and London continue to strengthen their bilateral relations. Ties that have intensified considerably since the beginning of the year, when a trade treaty between the two Kingdoms signed in October 2019 came into force. Over time, this partnership has expanded to other areas such as tourism, defence and renewable energy.
At this summit, Bourita and Truss agreed, in addition to further strengthening political dialogue and economic relations, to deepen their cooperation in cybersecurity, an "increasingly important" area, in the words of the ministers. In the joint communiqué, they underlined their commitment to fight cybercrime in an inclusive manner that protects human rights. Both representatives stressed "their support for a free, open, peaceful and secure cyberspace," according to Bladi. The Moroccan media also reports that the British Home Office and the Moroccan Directorate General of Information Systems Security (DGSSI) will initiate pioneering work based on a joint cyber analysis project that will provide a set of measures to support strategic capacity building in the field of cybersecurity. Along these lines, the two countries have announced a new centre of excellence in cybersecurity for Africa to be located in Morocco.
Other topics discussed by Bourita and Truss included trade, investment, services, agriculture, fisheries, sanitary and phytosanitary aspects and customs. They also discussed the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, terrorism and climate change. On the latter, Morocco and the United Kingdom "lead the race towards carbon neutrality" along with the Scandinavian countries, according to a report by the New Climate Institute. In addition, at the end of September, the British company Xlinks announced the construction of a solar and wind power installation in southern Morocco, a project that demonstrates the commitment of both countries to sustainability and green energy.
During the meeting, the ministers celebrated the 300th anniversary of the first treaty between the two kingdoms, signed on 23 January 1721 in Fez. In this regard, Truss pointed out Rabat's efforts in favour of stability in the region, specifically in Libya. Also, on behalf of the British government, he praised the policies developed by Morocco to achieve a stronger, more open and dynamic society and economy. With regard to COVID-19, he underlined the success in the process of vaccination and management of the pandemic. Bourita, for his part, thanked the UK for its support for the Moroccan vaccine manufacturing initiative.
The Alawi diplomat took the opportunity of the visit to meet with James Clevery, Minister for the Middle East and North Africa at the Foreign Office. Rabat and London also held the first session of their Association Council, a platform that will serve to intensify this cooperation. Clevery, via his Twitter account, described the summit as "a historic occasion marking 300 years since our first trade agreement and continuing to further expand our economic ties".
Ryad Mezzour, Moroccan Minister of Industry and Trade also travelled to London. "The Morocco-UK partnership agreement is a win-win partnership," he said in the UK capital. Mezzour met with Ranil Jayawaerdena, British Minister for International Trade, and pointed to the positive development of trade and investment between the two countries. This trade cooperation will be "within the framework of a mutually beneficial partnership and a co-development partnership involving the United Kingdom, Morocco and the African continent," he explained. Automotive, aeronautics and textiles were some of the sectors that the ministers highlighted within this trade cooperation.
Truss reaffirmed the UK's support for Security Council Resolution 1602, which highlights Morocco's "serious" and "credible" efforts to resolve the conflict in Western Sahara. In this context, Bourita and his counterpart confirmed their support for Staffan de Mistura, the UN Secretary General's personal envoy for the Sahara. Morocco had already given its approval to the appointment of Mistura, who replaces the German Horst Köhler after he resigned for "health reasons".