The Moroccan Embassy in London and the British Embassy in Rabat celebrated on Saturday the 300th anniversary of distinguished diplomatic ties between the two countries.
“300 years of prosperity and progress,” was the title the two embassies chose for the virtual celebration.
In a video posted on the Facebook pages of the two diplomatic representations, Morocco’s ambassador in London, Abdeslam Aboudrar highlighted the first peace and trade agreement concluded between the two countries under the Alawite Sultan Moulay Ismail and King George I, recalling the strong Moroccan-British friendship dating back to the 13th century.
The British ambassador to Rabat, Simon Martin, said that the agreement, which dates back three centuries, represented a new stage in Morocco-British relations. The historic document made Britain “Morocco’s first commercial ally.”
The strategic relations between Morocco and Britain have witnessed a boost in recent years. The two countries launched a series of negotiations in particular in the fields of politics, diplomacy, trade, investment, defense, security, culture, and education, said Aboudrar.
The two countries will expand trade and investment projects under the Morocco-UK Association Agreement which came into force on 1 January 2021, added the diplomat.
The Morocco-UK Association Agreement, signed in London on October 26, 2019, will preserve all the benefits that the two countries granted each other under the Morocco-EU Association Agreement, notably on trade. The agreement grants the continuation of bilateral trade relations and provides reciprocal protection for investors after the Brexit transitional phase.
Ambassador Martin said the Morocco-UK Association Agreement “promises a bright future for Moroccan-British cooperation.”
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Morocco and the UK strengthened partnerships in education, energy transition, and security.
In December 2020, the British Ambassador to Morocco, Simon Martin, and the Director of the World Bank in the Maghreb, Jesko Hentschel, signed an agreement on education, teaching, training, and scientific research. It includes a loan of MAD 2.6 million (£217,000) to support Morocco’s national education system.
Meanwhile, the UK’s International Environment Minister, Zac Goldsmith, expressed his country’s intention to deepen cooperation with Morocco on climate action and green energy transition during an official virtual meeting which took part in October 2020.
In November 2020, Morocco’s military officials and their counterparts from the UK discussed regional security in the Mediterranean region and the Sahel-Saharan strip. The officials expressed a joint interest to initiate dynamic cooperation in the defense industry, cybersecurity, and cyber defense.
