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The move comes in the backdrop of rise of groups such as the Islamic State and conflict between the Arab Kingdom and Yemen.
New Delhi: India on Friday urged the speedy conclusion of an extradition treaty and the setting of a joint working group to deal with the challenges posed by terrorism and extremism with Morocco, given the geographical proximity of the Arab Kingdom to restive countries like Libya.
Speaking at a seminar in New Delhi on the imperatives of cooperation between India and Morocco against the backdrop of the rise of groups like the Sunni militant Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in Syria and Iraq and the prevalence of threats from Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula in Yemen and areas, Anil Wadhwa,secretary (east) of the foreign ministry, sought closer cooperation through pacts like Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters.
“The creeping forward march of terrorist outfits like the Islamic State in the Maghreb and Sahel regions cannot be arrested and reversed with a merely security approach,” Wadhwa said.
The Maghreb region is usually cover most of the northwest Africa and west of Egypt while the Sahel covers region between the Sahara Desert to the north and Sudanian Savanna to the south. It covers a slice of the African continent that includes Senegal, southern Mauritania, central Mali, northern Burkina Faso, southern Algeria, Niger, extreme north of Nigeria, central Chad, central and southern Sudan, northern South Sudan and northern Eritrea.
“It is important to recognize that the Islamic State seeks to capture the hearts and minds of the vulnerable sections of the population which makes it imperative for us to pose an idelogical challenge by emphasising plurality and diversity, religious tolerance and moderation—values that both India and Morocco subscribe to,” Wadhwa said in the seminar organised by the New Delhi-based Society for Policy Studies think-tank.
“In our view it is important for India and Morocco to work together to develop stronger cooperation in the fields of counter terrorism and intelligence so as to develop efficient mechanisms for real time exchange of information,” Wadhwa said.
In this context “the setting up of a joint working group on terrorism between India and Morocco I think can no longer be postponed,” he said.
In his remarks, Larbi Reffouh, ambassador of Morocco to India, said his country had managed to remain an island of stability in a turbulent region by strengthening security governance, promoting moderate Islam and providing training to its imams.
“Morocco has been successful in dismantling 113 terrorist cells, arresting 2,720 suspects and preventing 266 terror plots” in the past decade, Reffouh said.
Wadhwa sought a greater exchange of visits at the top level to give more political heft to the ties. Both countries were expected to revitalise trade ties during their joint commission meeting expected later this year, he said.
In 2013, trade between the two countries stood at $1.41 billion while provisional figures for (January-September) 2014 showed trade $851.8 million, according to the foreign ministry website.
The balance of trade has been in favour of Morocco because of imports of phosphoric acid and rock phosphate by India.
