Morocco & Ecuador Share Similar Ambitions of Sovereignty, Integration & Structured Dialogue – FM
Rabat - While situated in two different geographical areas, Morocco and Ecuador share the same ambitions of sovereignty, integration and structured dialogue, Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates, Nasser Bourita, said on Friday in Rabat.
The two countries reiterate today that “the South could set itself as a space of influence and political togetherness, far from policies that fuel division,” Bourita underlined during a joint press briefing with Ecuadorian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gabriela Sommerfeld, who is paying a working visit to the Kingdom.
He recalled Ecuador’s historic decision, on October 22, 2024, to sever all ties to the pseudo “sadr” and strengthen ties with the Kingdom of Morocco, highlighting the message sent last December by His Majesty King Mohammed VI to President Daniel Noboa, expressing the Kingdom’s appreciation of this decision, marking the opening of a new chapter in relations between Morocco and the Latin American country.
In this respect, Bourita stressed that His Majesty the King reaffirmed, on this occasion, Morocco’s commitment to this new momentum of setting up a solid partnership with the Republic of Ecuador in all fields.
He pointed out that Sommerfeld’s visit marks a major turning point in bilateral ties, in line with the High Guidelines of His Majesty King Mohammed VI and His Excellency President Daniel Noboa. Despite the geographical distance, the two countries are able to build an exemplary and wealthy South-South partnership at the service of the two peoples and to consolidate regional and international stability and security, he said.
Bourita added that he had convened with his counterpart on the need to strengthen political dialogue between Morocco and Ecuador, and to conclude a memorandum of understanding between Moroccan and Ecuadorian diplomacy, in order to establish better consultation and coordination on regional and international issues, as well as within regional fora and multilateral organizations, given the convergence of the two countries’ points of view on several issues.
The two sides also agreed to deepen bilateral economic and trade cooperation, he said, noting that Sommerfeld would be meeting in the next few days with several Moroccan economic stakeholders in various fields, and would be visiting major Moroccan economic structures, with a view to exploring opportunities for strengthening cooperation between the two countries in all fields.
Given the importance of food security, Bourita affirmed that Morocco and Ecuador will work to strengthen strategic cooperation in this field, in addition to consolidating their bilateral cooperation on migration and the fight against transnational organized crime networks, through the establishment of a security dialogue focused on coordination in the face of related challenges.
In this respect, Bourita expressed “the Kingdom of Morocco’s full support for Ecuador’s bold efforts to combat transnational crime and the ensuing drug trafficking networks and violence,” underlining that Ecuador, under the leadership of His Excellency President Daniel Noboa, has demonstrated a firm political determination to enshrine security and the rule of law.
He added that the Kingdom of Morocco welcomes all initiatives undertaken by the Republic of Ecuador in the fight against organized crime, on both the international and regional levels, as well as within international and multilateral institutions, including the UN and its relevant organizations.
Bourita also underscored that bilateral ties were marked today by a major event, namely the inauguration of the Embassy of the Republic of Ecuador in Rabat, the country’s first diplomatic representation in the Maghreb region.
He said that Morocco is also considering the opening of a diplomatic representation in Quito, as part of a reciprocal agreement, with a view to upgrading it to an embassy at a later date, in order to strengthen cooperation between the two countries.
These two diplomatic representations will provide a mechanism for coordination and cooperation between the two countries’ economic, cultural and associative players, he added.
Bourita added that it had been agreed to include Ecuador in the list of countries benefiting from the e-visa introduced by Morocco.
He added that this measure will enable people with visas issued by certain countries to enter Morocco without needing a Moroccan visa, adding that a prior declaration system will replace the visa as of next month.
Editorial team/le7tv
