Morocco, Mali Cement Bilateral Cooperation with Five New Agreements

Morocco and Mali signed five cooperation agreements covering transport, logistics and employment as the two countries continue to build on the momentum ushered by two Royal visits to Bamako in 2013 and 2014.

The agreements were signed in Rabat Thursday at a ceremony co-chaired by Head of the Moroccan government, Saad Eddine El Othmani and visiting Malian Prime Minister Soumeylou Boubeye Maïga.

As part of the visit of the Malian delegation, Mali’s foreign minister Tiéman Hubert Coulibaly discussed with his Moroccan counterpart, Nasser Bourita, a set of bilateral issues and agreed to bolster political consultation and cooperation in regional bodies.

This meeting was an opportunity to review what was achieved as part of the two royal visits to Bamako, to see the full potential of this relationship and to agree on concrete measures to optimize this potential, Bourita told the press following the meeting.

Regarding the peace and reconciliation process in Mali, Bourita said that Morocco is satisfied at the progress made under the leadership of the President of Mali.

Bourita also raised the security threats in the Sahel and their repercussions on North Africa and the Mediterranean, urging collective international efforts to combat insecurity in the region.

In this respect, the Moroccan minister highlighted the pertinence of the G5 counterterrorism force and the need to bring more support to it.

Echoing him, Mali’s foreign minister welcomed Morocco’s return to the African Union and its bid to join the ECOWAS.

He also highlighted the longstanding and multilayered ties between Morocco and Mali, noting that Bamako chose Rabat to train its Imams in line with genuine Islamic precepts.