Rabat – The Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nasser Bourita, has discussed the cooperation opportunities between Morocco and Kenya with his Kenyan counterpart, Raychelle Omamo.
During a telephone call on Friday, August 28, the two diplomats talked about bilateral cooperation, especially through the intergovernmental, regional, and international organizations of which both Morocco and Kenya are members.
Bourita and Omamo also discussed several issues of common interest, said a statement from the Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, without disclosing further details.
Morocco-Kenya relations
Morocco and Kenya entertain generally positive relations, especially in the field of trade and air transport. The countries are linked with several agreements that aim to increase bilateral trade and allow direct flights between the two states.
Over the past two decades, trade between Morocco and Kenya has increased by over 123 times. In 1998, the value of bilateral trade stood at $170,000.
Meanwhile, in 2019, trade has reached nearly $21 million, according to the UN Comtrade Database.
While economic relations between Morocco and Kenya have been in constant development, diplomatic ties went through some tense episodes.
In February 2014, Morocco had a row with Kenya after the East African country opened an embassy of the self-proclaimed Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) in Nairobi.
However, a few months later, the Speaker of the Kenyan Senate, Ekwee David Ethuro visited Morocco to show that his country does not challenge the Kingdom’s territorial integrity.
During his visit, the Kenyan official met with the Moroccan head of government at the time, Abdelilah Benkirane. Discussions covered several issues, including higher education scholarships for Kenyan students in medical and engineering fields.
