MOROCCO, March 17 - Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans Abroad, Nasser Bourita, co-chaired, Thursday in Rabat, with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines, Teodoro Locsin Jr., the 2nd session of Morocco-Philippines political consultations.

During this session, the two sides welcomed the development of bilateral relations since the opening of the embassy of the Kingdom of Morocco in Manila in January 2017 and the decision of the Philippines to open a resident embassy in Rabat on December 27, 2019, says a press release issued by the ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans Abroad.

On this occasion, they reviewed the state of bilateral relations, which are marked by friendship, mutual respect and solidarity, and pledged to further strengthen political dialogue and promote sectoral cooperation dynamics in various areas, such as trade, tourism, maritime cooperation, renewable energy, environmental protection and capacity building.

With a view to strengthening the legal framework of political relations and cooperation between the two countries, Bourita and Locsin Jr. signed the cooperation agreement relating to air services and the two Memoranda of Understanding establishing political consultations between the two countries as well as between the Moroccan Academy of Diplomatic Studies (AMED) and the Foreign Service Institute of the Philippines.

A cooperation agreement was also signed between the Moroccan News Agency (MAP) and the Philippine News Agency (PNA).

The discussions also enabled an in-depth exchange on regional and international issues of common interest, in particular security and peace in the world and in the Middle East, current hotbeds of tension in different regions of the globe, security shipping, global challenges in the fight against terrorism, climate change and the fight against poverty and precariousness.

At the end of this meeting, the two sides agreed to hold the 1st session of the Joint Commission for Economic Cooperation in Manila soon, on a date to be fixed by mutual agreement.

Talks took place in a fruitful friendly atmosphere which reflects the excellent bilateral relations and the will of the officials of the two countries to further develop and diversify them, the statement concluded.

MAP 17 March 2022