Nasser Bourita Holds Talks with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State

Nasser Bourita, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation, and Moroccans Abroad, met with Wendy Sherman, the US Deputy Secretary of State, in Rabat on Tuesday as part of a working visit to the Kingdom on the sidelines of the Morocco-US Strategic Dialogue.

Mr. Bourita praised the quality of the centuries-old connections between Morocco and the United States, as well as the intensity of diversified bilateral contacts at the economic, political, strategic, military, and security levels, at a joint press briefing with the American official.

The minister welcomed the US’s persistent stance on the subject of the Sahara’s Moroccanness, as well as the US’s support for Morocco’s autonomy plan as a credible, serious, and realistic solution to this artificial regional dispute.

Ms. Sherman welcomed the Kingdom’s participation to the Middle East peace process and the Libyan talks, reiterating her country’s position on the Moroccan Sahara and the autonomy project.

The American official also stated that the Treaty of Friendship between Morocco and the United States, which was signed in 1778, has continued to strengthen through bilateral encounters and convergence of viewpoints on a variety of regional and worldwide issues.

Ms. Sherman met with Mr. Bourita and co-chaired a session of the Strategic Dialogue, which is part of the regular talks between the Kingdom and the United States of America, during her visit to Morocco.

This meeting gave American and Moroccan diplomats the chance to address a number of areas of mutual interest, including security and human rights cooperation, as well as regional challenges such as the Sahel, Libya, and Ukraine.

American diplomacy underlined Washington’s support for the Kingdom’s autonomy plan and praised Morocco’s regional role in security cooperation in a joint statement issued at the end of the session.