Morocco’s Minister Delegate for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation visited NATO headquarters on Tuesday 5 March 2013 and was welcomed by NATO Deputy Secretary General Ambassador Alexander Vershbow. “This is the first time a minister from Morocco has visited the Alliance bilaterally, and it bears witness to our continued commitment to strengthen our political consultation and our practical cooperation,” said Ambassador Vershbow.
The Deputy Secretary General and H.E. Mr. Youssef Amrani discussed NATO-Morocco relations and the state of play within the Alliance’s Mediterranean Dialogue.
Since joining the Mediterranean Dialogue in 1994, Morocco has become a key strategic partner for NATO in the region. The country has contributed to various NATO-led crisis operations, including SFOR in Bosnia; the KFOR mission in Kosovo; Operation Active Endeavour, the Alliance’s anti-terrorism mission in the Mediterranean; and Operation Unified Protector, to protect the people of Libya as mandated by the UN Security Council.
Morocco has also played from the outset a very active role within the Mediterranean Dialogue, contributing to political discussions with NATO on issues such as the Alliance’s Strategic Concept, including hosting in Rabat the first meeting of the North Atlantic Council with all seven MD partners, as well as to practical cooperation through an ambitious Individual Cooperation Programme, designed according to mutually agreed country priorities. Morocco participated in the NATO summit in Chicago last year.
“Political dialogue is a crucial aspect of our cooperation, and it is one we are committed to develop further,” Ambassador Vershbow said.
