Voice of America – VOA
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry listens during a news conference with Moroccan Foreign Minister Salaheddine Mezouar at a U.S.-Morocco Strategic Dialogue at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Rabat, Morocco, April 4, 2014.
At the recent U.S.-Morocco Strategic Dialogue both countries expressed their commitment to a partnership to advance a stable, democratic and prosperous Maghreb, Africa, and Middle East.
Security is one of the most fundamental obligations that a government owes its citizens. Here, the United States and Morocco stand together. For a decade the U.S. has participated in joint military exercises with Morocco. These exercises are being expanded to include other countries from Africa, Europe, and Canada.
On the economic front Morocco is one of the fewer than 20 countries in the world, and the only country on the African continent where the United States has a free trade agreement. “We need to build on the strength of that investment,” said U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry. “Morocco’s incredible potential for growth and its growing role as a vital gateway” to the African continent make it even more important for the United States to grow the relationship.
Morocco is already among the top African countries investing in African nations. Indeed, Morocco signed 18 different agreements with Mali earlier this year, in areas from microfinance to infrastructure. Morocco is driving both greater security and greater prosperity in the Maghreb.
At home, Morocco has made it a priority to promote entrepreneurship. “I firmly believe,” said Mr. Kerry, “that the places where citizens have the freedom to dream up a new idea, and take that idea and put it into reality, those are the places where people can be their own boss and where they’re free to fail – those are the societies that are the most successful, they’re the societies that are most cohesive, and those are the places that are most peaceful, tranquil, and satisfied.”
The U.S. Agency for International Development is focused on supporting this kind of pursuit of prosperity in Morocco. USAID is working in three areas: developing the workforce; supporting more responsive government; and improving education in those first, most critical years.
The United States and Morocco share a broad set of values that will provide the foundation for even wider cooperation within the Strategic Dialogue in the years ahead.
