The United States highlights the multifaceted partnership with Morocco
Hibapress
The American State Department highlighted, Monday, the importance of the multifaceted strategic partnership linking the United States to Morocco, in the service of peace and prosperity in the region of North Africa and the Middle East ( MENA), thanks in particular to an exceptional military relationship which continues to strengthen.
“Morocco is a critical partner of the United States on a broad range of regional security issues, with a common goal of a stable, secure, and prosperous Middle East and North Africa,” says the Office of Political and Political Affairs. military under the Department of State.
Noting the density of centuries-old cooperation between Washington and Rabat, American diplomacy recalls that the United States works “in close collaboration with Morocco to promote regional stability, fight terrorism, strengthen trade and investment ties and support development and reform efforts” in the Kingdom.
Regarding the axis of military cooperation, Washington notes that the security alliance between the two countries dates back to the end of the 1950s, “reflecting the lasting nature of the bilateral relationship”.
“This commitment has been materialized through several memorandums of understanding, most recently in 2007 and 2015, which outline critical areas of security and economic cooperation, helping Morocco address regional challenges and the impact of crises in the regions. neighbors,” notes the same source.
Regarding multilateral defense, Morocco is hailed as a “faithful partner” which joined NATO’s Mediterranean Dialogue in 1995, an initiative aimed at promoting regional security and stability, before being designated as an ally major non-NATO member in 2004.
A sign of the density of an exceptional military relationship which has continued to strengthen, the State Department notes that in addition to the various sales of military equipment, the Moroccan-American partnership also includes military support and training programs. education and training, with the objectives in particular of promoting regional stability and the fight against terrorism.
“Morocco is among the ten main contributors to United Nations peacekeeping operations in the world,” recalls the source, stressing that the Kingdom has a pre-deployment training center, which provides training in the areas protection of civilians, the fight against disinformation, digitalization, telemedicine, mental health and environmental protection.
Referring to the “leading” role played by Morocco in the fight against terrorism, Washington underlines that since 2005, Morocco has been a member of the Trans-Saharan Partnership to Combat Terrorism, and a founding member with the United States of the Global Forum. of the fight against terrorism.
In addition, Morocco was the first Maghreb country to join the Global Anti-Daesh Coalition in 2014 and is currently co-chair of the Coalition’s Africa think tank, it is reported.
The other aspect of “strong” bilateral military cooperation relates to joint security operations, notably the African Lion exercise, noted American diplomacy.
Since the end of the 1990s, Morocco has hosted this military exercise which brings together American and Moroccan forces with participants from more than twenty countries and NATO, recalls the same source which specifies that since 2008, African Lion has become “the largest joint military exercise on the continent”, in which thousands of soldiers participate each year.
