Commitment to Morocco-EU partnership needs to be shown through acts instead of words, foreign minister Nasser Bourita said.
Bourita made the statement in a news conference with EU neighbourhood commissioner Olivér Várhelyi, who pays his first visit to Rabat since the European Court of Justice issued its politically-motivated verdict on the fisheries and agricultural deals with Morocco.
“It is necessary that everything said in European capitals about the importance of the European Union’s partnership with Morocco be translated into actions and concrete solutions in the face of provocations and harassment, which take political and legal forms and attempt to harm this partnership,” Bourita said.
“Today, Morocco expects the European Union to state how it intends to address the provocations. Morocco expects the EU to send signals and material proposals that reflect its commitment to this partnership and respond to the challenges at hand,” he said.
He reiterated that Morocco will not sign any agreement that violates its national unity, adding “today the ball is in the EU’s court.”
EU Commissioner on his part said Morocco is a “reliable” partner and a “pillar of stability” in the region, hailing the actions carried out jointly with the Kingdom, particularly the successful reform of the Kingdom’s social security project.
“In my opinion, we now need to redouble our efforts to figure out feasible solutions” to overcome the difficulties, he added. “We are committed to all the achievements we have made together and we would like to extend them,” said Mr. Varhelyi, announcing an upcoming agreement aimed at supporting the populations affected by Al Haouz earthquake and backing post-quake reconstruction efforts.