Morocco, Israel Liaison offices to start receiving guests soon

Moroccan and Israeli foreign ministers received the heads of their respective liaison offices in Rabat and Tel Aviv moving with steady steps towards implementing the deal signed in December to resume ties and unlock cooperation at all levels.

In Rabat, Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita received head of Israeli liaison office David Govrin, who said on his twitter account that the meeting was a chance to raise an array of future cooperation areas.

In Tel Aviv, a Moroccan delegation has arrived Monday, led by senior diplomat Abderrahim Beyyoud who was received by Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi.

Both countries look forward to bolstering cooperation in agriculture, tourism, new technologies and renewable energies in particular with ministers holding video conference talks.

The latest talks took place between Moroccan interior minister Abdelouafi Laftit and his Israeli peer Amir Ohana. The two parties discussed cooperation prospects and agreed to meet soon.

Ohana is of Moroccan origins along with 7 other Israeli cabinet members.

The resumption of direct flights is a key component of the December deal which would facilitate visits by a Moroccan diaspora in Israel estimated at 1 million people.

Morocco and Israel officially established diplomatic ties in the 1990s but closed their respective liaison offices in 2001 following the Palestinian Intifada.