Moroccan FM Nasser Bourita in Washington to Meet Secretary Blinken

Rabat – Moroccan Foreign Affairs Minister Nasser Bourita is currently in the US and is scheduled to meet with Secretary of State Antony Blinken later today.

The US State Department’s public schedule listed a meeting between Bourita and Blinken, indicating that the two diplomats will meet today at the Department of State headquarters at 4:30 p.m. (Moroccan local time).

The meeting comes as another signal of both countries’ determination to boost their cooperation in a wide range of sectors, including trade and security.

Today’s in-person meeting between Bourita and Blinken will be the second of its kind since June, when the two met in Rome during the Ministerial Meeting of the Anti-ISIS Global Coalition.

On the sidelines of the Rome event, the two officials discussed different topics regarding regional peace and stability, including the Libyan crisis and Morocco’s role in facilitating the Un-led political dialogue in the North African country.

Blinken has repeatedly highlighted Morocco’s pioneering role in the Libyan peace process, echoing the sentiments of Libyan officials who frequently thanked Morocco for laying the groundwork for the Libyan Political Agreement.

Before meeting in person in Rome, Bourita and Blinken held their first talk in the form of a phone conversation in April.

Blinken tweeted about the call with Bourita, saying he had a “good conversation” with the Moroccan FM on a range of shared interests topics pertaining to regional security and stability.

Morocco and the US share a strong diplomatic relationship that was further strengthened after Washington’s decision to recognize Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara in December of last year.

The recognition was announced by former President Donald Trump before his departure from the White House.

Despite sustained pressure from some pro-Polisario circles in the US and elsewhere, Biden’s administration has repeatedly signaled its willingness to uphold the Trump administration’s decision by reiterating that there is no change in the US position over the Sahara dossier.

In a recent interview with the BBC’s Anne Soy, Blinken suggested that the US’ position has not changed on Western Sahara.

“We are very focused now on supporting the efforts of the UN envoy, Staffan de Mistura, and a UN-led process to find a durable and dignified solution,” Blinken said in response to Soy’s question of whether the Biden administration intends to reverse the country’s recognition of Morocco’s sovereignty over.

While the somewhat vague response showed Blinken’s reluctance to directly answer Soy’s question about the Trump decision, it clearly indicated that the US will throw its weight behind efforts towards a compromise-based political solution in Western Sahara, a stance that has largely been interpreted as pro-Morocco