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Rabat – Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Bourita hosted on Thursday in Rabat his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock, with the two officials discussing their countries’ vision to improve the warming diplomatic relations between Berlin and Rabat.
Baerbock arrived in Rabat today, and her delegation is scheduled to meet several other high-ranking Moroccan officials to discuss strengthening bilateral cooperation in different fields, including renewable energy and trade.
Ahead of Baerbock’s departure to Morocco, the German Foreign Ministry released a statement that quoted her as stressing Morocco’s importance as a partner for Germany.
In the communique, published earlier today, the German official described Morocco as Europe’s closest neighbor to the south and emphasized the North African country’s leadership in the field of sustainable energy.
“Morocco is perfectly placed to become an important strategic pillar in the European energy transition,” she said, recalling the decade-long cooperation between Rabat and Berlin in the energy sector.
The top German diplomat also called for strengthening Berlin-Rabat cooperation in several other sectors, including the economy.
“Even looking beyond this, the potential for increased economic cooperation and person-to-person contact is huge,” she said, emphasizing her country’s commitment to reset ties with Morocco to allow Berlin to explore and use opportunities for investments and political dialogue on offer in its warming relationship Rabat .
For Baerbock, her visit reflects Germany’s decision to open a new chapter in its relations with Morocco.
The two countries recently experienced a year-long diplomatic feud over what Morocco described as “fundamental disagreements” on a range of issues, most notably Germany’s former stance on the Western Sahara dispute.
With Germany having subtly but significantly expressed support for Morocco’s Autonomy Plan for Western Sahara, Berlin and Rabat have in recent weeks signaled their shared desire to forge a new diplomatic rapprochement which Morocco insists should be based on “transparency, reciprocity, and mutual respect.”
