US commends King Mohammed VI’s reform agenda over two-decades

US Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo highlighted King Mohammed VI’s leadership in advancing a bold and far-reaching reform agenda over the two past decades.

Pompeo made the statement in a joint release following the 4th session of the US-Morocco strategic dialogue which he chaired in Washington together with Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita.

The US official expressed “appreciation for His Majesty’s continuous and valuable support on issues of common interest such as peace in the Middle East, Africa’s stability and development, as well as regional security.”

The two parties also reviewed their close and productive partnership and examined means to further reinforce ties while emphasizing the long-standing relations dating back to the Treaty of Peace and Friendship in 1787.

Pompeo and Bourita expressed particular satisfaction for the convening of the first Africa Working Group of the Strategic Dialogue in order to strengthen cooperation on common interests in Africa.

They welcomed the holding of the “African Lion”, “Lightning Handshake” and “Epic Guardian” joint military exercises and discussed ways to further deepen the excellent military cooperation at the strategic policy level.

In this respect, they stressed the need to foster cooperation to counter security threats posed to regional stability by terrorist groups including AQIM and ISIS.

Pompeo also thanked Morocco which he described as “a stable security exporting partner” for its ongoing leadership of the Global Counterterrorism Forum and for its sustaining role in the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS.

The agenda of the strategic dialogue covered joint efforts to combat terrorism in Africa, and in particular to secure the enduring defeat of ISIS, by enhancing the capacity of security services in the region, including through a joint platform for security cooperation.

The two officials also discussed the danger posed by Iran and its proxies and discussed cooperative efforts to combat attempts to spread Iranian influence in the region including in North West Africa.

They both “reiterated their commitment to a closer economic partnership and to developing innovative ways to maximize the US-Morocco Free Trade Agreement.”

The meeting also shed light on Morocco’s potential to serve as a platform and gateway for an increasing number of American firms doing business in Africa and welcomed Morocco’s commitment to supporting growth and development across the continent.