Joint Communiqué on the Morocco-U.S. Strategic Dialogue on Regional Political Issues

You are subscribed to Africa for U.S. Department of State. This information has recently been updated, and is now available. Joint Communiqué on the Morocco-U.S. Strategic Dialogue on Regional Political Issues 03/08/2022 11:03 AM EST Office of the Spokesperson The following is the text of a joint statement by the Governments of Morocco and the United States of America. Begin text: The Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation, and Moroccan Expatriates, M. Nasser Bourita, and the Deputy Secretary of State of the United States of America, Ms. Wendy Sherman, held bilateral political consultations in Rabat today and co-chaired a session of the Morocco-U.S. Strategic Dialogue on Regional Political Issues. Foreign Minister Bourita and Deputy Secretary Sherman welcomed the celebration of International Women's Day as a milestone in promoting and advancing women's rights.  They underscored the need to advance efforts aiming at strengthening women's rights and achieving equality. The meeting was an opportunity to reiterate the commitment to the long-standing relations between Morocco and the United States that date to the Treaty of Peace and Friendship in 1787.  They emphasized that the strategic bilateral partnership between Morocco and the United States is rooted in shared interests in regional peace, security, and prosperity.  They also discussed areas for future U.S.-Moroccan cooperation. Foreign Minister Bourita and Deputy Secretary Sherman highlighted King Mohammed VI's leadership in advancing a far-reaching reform agenda. They discussed the importance of promoting and protecting human rights and fundamental freedoms and building on the productive Morocco-U.S. dialogue on human rights held in September 2021, which serves as the main platform to discuss all human rights related issues. The Minister and the Deputy Secretary expressed their intent to continue cooperation on issues of common interest such as regional peace and prosperity, and the development of Africa and regional security.  Deputy Secretary Sherman emphasized the crucial role played by the Kingdom of Morocco in maintaining regional security and stability as well as its contribution to peace and prosperity in the Middle East. The Foreign Minister and Deputy Secretary recalled the Joint Declaration of December 22, 2020, signed by Morocco, United States, and Israel.  The Deputy Secretary welcomed the continued deepening of relations between Morocco and Israel.  They discussed ways and means to boost cooperation between the three countries. The Foreign Minister and the Deputy Secretary expressed strong support for United Nations Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General Staffan de Mistura in leading the political process for Western Sahara, under the auspices of the United Nations.  The Deputy Secretary noted that the United States continues to view Morocco's Autonomy Plan as serious, credible, and realistic, and one potential approach to meet the aspirations of the people of the region. The Minister and the Deputy Secretary expressed their intent to continue strong cooperation to defeat terrorist groups, including AQIM and ISIS.  The Deputy Secretary thanked Morocco, a stable security-exporting partner, for its leadership of the Global Counterterrorism Forum and for its sustaining role in the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, including by co-chairing the Africa Focus Group of the Coalition and hosting the upcoming Ministerial Meeting of the Coalition in May.  The Deputy Secretary expressed appreciation for Morocco's continued support to the African Lion multilateral military exercises. Foreign Minister Bourita and Deputy Secretary Sherman also discussed a range of regional issues, including the Sahel, Libya, and Ukraine.  In this regard, the Minister and Deputy Secretary reaffirmed the importance of respecting the territorial integrity, sovereignty, and national unity of all the Member States of the United Nations. Concerning Libya, the Deputy Secretary welcomed the positive role and important contribution of Morocco to support the UN's efforts on the political process and hosting the intra-Libyan dialogue.  The Foreign Minister and Deputy Secretary reaffirmed their strong commitment to the sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity, and national unity of Libya and the priority for organizing national elections in the near term. End text. Stay connected with the State Department: External links found in this content or on Department of State websites that go to other non-Department websites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views or privacy policies contained therein.    Update your subscriptions, modify your password or email address, or stop subscriptions at any time on your Subscriber Preferences Page. You will need to use your email address to log in. If you have questions or problems with the subscription service, please contact subscriberhelp.govdelivery.com. 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