Manhasset (New York outskirts) – Moroccan Foreign Minister Saad Dine El Otmani is expected on Thursday in Washington for an official visit aiming to “further strengthen” the privileged political and economic relations between Morocco and the United States.
“My visit to Washington is an official visit, which follows one conducted recently in Morocco by the U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, in order to continue the dialogue begun in Rabat to enhance bilateral relations at the political level as well as the economic exchanges,” El Otmani told MAP news agency at the end of 9th round of informal talks on the Sahara, held on March 11-13 in Manhasset.
The visit intends to set up new mechanisms for “regular political consultations” between the two countries, the minister said, adding that these also aim to strengthen economic cooperation, notably the “creation of a businessmen forum which will seek to maximize” bilateral trade under the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in force since 2006.
He recalled that Clinton’s recent visit in Rabat was an opportunity to reaffirm the United States’ consistent position vis-à-vis the Moroccan autonomy plan as a sustainable solution to the Sahara issue, stressing that the Moroccan initiative also enjoys a wide international support.
During her trip to Morocco last February, Clinton reiterated that the Moroccan autonomy proposal constitutes a “serious, credible and realistic” solution to solve the Sahara issue and that the position of the United States on this issue “remains unchanged.”
The Foreign Minister also welcomed the “positive assessment” made by the chief U.S. diplomat of the developments and political reforms implemented in Morocco and their significance in terms of stability and regional security.
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