The governments of Morocco and the United Kingdom have reaffirmed their strong willingness and resolve to deepen their economic & security cooperation.
In a joint statement issued following the 3rd UK-Morocco Strategic Dialogue held Wednesday in London, the two countries also pledged to support each other to cope with climate change and the Covid-19 pandemic.
UK reaffirmed its support to the Security Council resolution 2602 which commends Morocco’s serious and credible efforts to solve the conflict on the Moroccan Sahara. It also stressed the UN exclusive role in the settlement process of the Sahara regional issue.
London and Rabat welcomed the appointment of Staffan de Mistura as new UN Sahara envoy and reiterated their full support for his efforts to find a solution to this long-standing dispute.
The UK Government commends Morocco’s King vision pushing for an audacious economy and for a more open and more dynamic Morocco. It also praises Morocco’s continued support for the resilience of the African continent, namely through the regional commissions on climate change launched at COP22.
The two countries agreed to contribute constructively to the efforts seeking to build a new international convention on cybercrime and ensure that it is inclusive and protects human rights.
The UK Home Office and Morocco’s Directorate General for Information Systems Security (DGSSI) will complete their groundbreaking work on a joint integrated cyber analysis project that will provide a package of strategic cybersecurity capacity-building assistance.
A new cyber-security center for Africa will set up in Morocco in partnership between UK and Moroccan companies and universities.
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss and her Moroccan peer Nasser Bourita have reaffirmed their support for a free, open, peaceful and secure cyberspace.
The two ministers adopted a joint political Declaration and signed two decisions setting up the main bodies of the new Morocco-UK Association Agreement, concluded between the two countries in 2019, namely the Council and the Association Committee.
They also set up a sub-committee in charge of trade, investment, services, agriculture, fisheries, sanitary and phytosanitary aspects and customs.
The two countries top diplomats pledged to continue coordination in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic and climate change.
During her talks with Moroccan peer, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss hailed the reforms carried out by Morocco under the leadership of King Mohammed VI for a stronger, more open and dynamic Moroccan society and economy.
For his part, Bourita thanked the UK for supporting Morocco’s vaccine manufacturing initiative seeking to strengthen the health system resilience of Morocco and Africa, and generating positive economic impact and creating highly skilled job opportunities.
The Moroccan foreign minister also met in London UK minister for MENA region James Cleverly.