Head of Government, Aziz Akhannouch, received Tuesday in Rabat, a delegation from the US Congress, representing the US Democratic Party, led by Representative Adriano Espaillat. This delegation is on a working visit to Morocco as part of the strengthening of friendship and fruitful cooperation between the Kingdom and the entities of the US legislative institution.
Akhannouch reiterated, during this meeting, Morocco’s appreciation for the US position on the Moroccan Sahara issue, following the US recognition of the sovereignty of the Kingdom over the Moroccan Sahara, in December 2020, and the opening of a consulate in Dakhla.
This position was confirmed by Deputy Secretary of State, Wendy Sherman, during her visit to Morocco in March 2022, who reiterated the US support for the Moroccan autonomy plan as a serious, credible, and realistic solution.
Akhannouch further commended the fruitful partnership between Morocco and the Millennium Challenge Corporation, as showcased by the success of the Millennium Challenge Account-Morocco Agency’s program, in its first and second compacts, which are part of the government’s development priorities, under the High Directives of His Majesty King Mohammed VI.
The statement reported that this meeting was also an opportunity to highlight the particular dynamics that characterized, in recent years, the longstanding friendly relations between Morocco and the US, whose diplomatic ties date back to the signing of the Moroccan-American Treaty of Peace and Friendship in 1787.
The two partner countries are also linked since 2012 by a Strategic Partnership, which is based on a regular and varied political dialogue, structured economic ties governed by the US-Moroccan Free Trade Agreement (MAFTA), as well as a set of agreements and cooperation programs covering several fields.
On this occasion, the Head of Government and the delegation of the US Congress also reviewed a series of cooperation programs between the two countries in several fields and discussed ways to expand them, stressing the common desire to strengthen this dynamic through the contribution of workforce from the two countries.
For his part, Representative Espaillat highlighted “the great achievements of Morocco, which is considered a friend and an ally of the US in several fields,” including the empowerment of women and the establishment of a modern and resilient infrastructure.
The US democratic delegation, which includes the Deputy Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, Adriano Espaillat, Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia, and Congressman Salud Carbajal, held talks, prior to this meeting, with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates, Nasser Bourita, as well as the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rachid Talbi Alami.