F.P. Report
WASHINGTON DC: Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken will travel to Rabat, Morocco from March 28 to 30, where he will meet with Prime Minister Aziz Akhanouch and Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita to exchange views on regional political issues and bilateral cooperation. The Secretary will also engage with Moroccan civil society leaders and participate in a media engagement.
The long-standing relationship between Morocco and the United States dates back to the Treaty of Peace and Friendship in 1787 when Morocco became the first nation to recognize the United States. The strategic bilateral partnership between the United States and Morocco is rooted in shared interests in regional peace, security, and prosperity. We welcome Moro-cco’s role in promoting regional stability, prosperity, and the historic normalization of relations with Israel.
This month, we begin the final year of the five-year, $460 million compact administered by the U.S. Millennium Challenge Corporation. Together, the United States and Morocco are expanding education and employment opportunities for young people across the Kingdom, as well as land productivity and land rights for women in rural areas.
Over the past year, the Morocco-Israel diplomatic relationship has blossomed with the historic re-opening of the Israeli liaison office in Rabat. This past year also witnessed the first visit since normalization of relations by senior Israeli officials to Morocco, including Foreign Minister Lapid, along with direct commercial flights operating between Casablanca and Tel Aviv.
Expanding the circle of peace to advance prosperity and security between Israel and other countries in the Middle East, South Asia, and beyond will remain a priority for the US.
The United States and Morocco expressed their intent during the strategic dialogue to continue strong counterterrorism cooperation, including against AQIM and ISIS. We appreciate Morocco as a stable security-exporting partner, for its leadership of the Gl-obal Counterterrorism For-um and for its sustaining role in the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, including by co-chairing the Africa Focus Group of the Coali-tion and hosting the upcoming Ministerial Meeting of the Coalition in May.
The bilateral relationship includes close collaboration on a range of issues, including the Sahel, Libya, and Ukraine. We reaffirm the importance of respecting the territorial integrity, sovereignty, and national unity of all the Member States of the UN.
The Unites States welcomes Morocco’s efforts to support the UN’s work on the political process in Libya and hosting the intra-Libyan dialogue. We are united in our strong commitment to the sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity, and national unity of Libya and the priority for organizing national elections in the near term.
US and Moroccan military officials have started planning already for this year’s African Lion, the largest military exercise in Africa and a critical component for the U.S.-Morocco security partnership.
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