EAM S Jaishankar holds virtual meeting with his Moroccan counterpart Nasser Bourita

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held a virtual meeting with his Moroccan counterpart Nasser Bourita yesterday. Both sides agreed that bilateral relations have acquired considerable depth and vitality following the landmark visit of the King of Morocco Mohammed VI in October 2015 for the third India-Africa Forum Summit.

 

Exchange of 23 Ministerial visits and conclusion of over 40 MoUs and Agreements in a range of sectors such as IT, education, culture, agriculture, mutual legal assistance, extradition since then are a testament to the strong desire on the part of both sides to take bilateral ties to a higher plane.

 

Dr Jaishankar conveyed India’s commendation for His Majesty’s visionary leadership in steering Morocco on the path of economic progress and prosperity.

 

Positively assessing the growth in trade and investment relations, the Ministers noted the close cooperation in fertilizers, textiles, pharmaceuticals, automobiles and ICT



sectors. They further agreed that the agreements concluded in the last two years in the fields of cyber security, counter terrorism and space provide strong frameworks for building the foundation of a strong and comprehensive relationship. The Ministers agreed that both sides should expedite the finalisation of the MOU on defence cooperation and the Cultural Exchange Programme so that these can be signed on an early date.

 

The two Ministers had an in-depth exchange of views on regional and global issues, including the UN reforms, international fight against terrorism, climate change, renewable energy and cooperation under the India Africa Forum Summit mechanism.

 

Responding to Mr. Bourita’s briefing on the developments in Libya, including at the recent intra-Libyan dialogue in Bouznika, Dr Jaishankar commended Morocco’s resolute and constructive engagement with all the Libyan parties since the beginning of the crisis.