The Guardian
Morocco is a stable partner and credible provider of security at the regional level, said US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who co-chaired Tuesday in Washington, DC., with the Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates, Nasser Bourita, the fourth session of the Strategic Dialogue between Morocco and the United States.
In a joint statement issued at the end of this session of the U.S.-Morocco Strategic Dialogue held at the headquarters of the State Department, the two ministers welcomed the convening of the African Lion, Lightning Handshake and Epic Guardian joint military exercises.
They also “discussed the means to deepen the excellent military cooperation in strategic policies,” the statement added. During this session, Bourita and Pompeo also “agreed to continue their cooperation to advance common interests in regional stability and the fight against terrorist groups, including al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and the Islamic State (Daesh),” the statement said.
The US top diplomat thanked Morocco, which he described as “stable partner providing security”, referring in this regard, to the role of the Kingdom as “a leader of the Global Counterterrorism Forum” and “its leading role in the Global Coalition against Daesh”. The two officials also discussed “joint efforts to fight terrorism in Africa, and in particular, the means to ensure a lasting defeat of ISIS, by strengthening the capacity of the security services in the region, including through a joint platform for cooperation on security”.
The two ministers said they are “particularly satisfied” with the convening of the first working group of the Morocco-USA strategic dialogue on Africa, in order to strengthen cooperation on the common interests of the two countries in Africa.
