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Rabat- Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Bourita met with his Turkish counterpart Melvut Cavusoglu to discuss furthering the strong ties between their two countries.
According to statements from Cavusoglu’s twitter account, the two officials addressed four main objectives for Morocco and Turkey to work towards. These include: reviving political consultations, increasing bilateral cooperation on regional & international issues, holding Joint Economic Committee (JEC) meetings as well as other business forums, and a decision to mutually recognize COVID-19 vaccine certificates from both countries.
Turkey and Morocco share many similar goals, and the diplomatic relationship between the two countries stretches back over seventy years. On the economic front, Ankara and Rabat are currently partners in the Moroccan-Turkey Free Trade Agreement, which amounts to over $1 Billion in annual trade.
Also, the decision to mutually recognize each other’s COVID-19 vaccine certificates is a big sign of cooperation and trust, as the world starts to attempt renormalization after the damaging effects of the pandemic. This decision will allow fully vaccinated people from both countries to freely travel between both destinations, a decision that some western countries have been hesitant to include Morocco in.
The cooperation with Ankara comes at a time when Morocco is undergoing icy diplomatic relations with some of its European partners. As those issues remain stagnant, it appears that Rabat is choosing to look elsewhere to strengthen ties post-pandemic, and Turkey appears to be more than willing to step in to fill that role.
