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Marrakech – Head of Government Aziz Akhannouch received today the US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau in Rabat. US Ambassador to Morocco Duke Buchan also took part in the talks. The meeting came on the final leg of Landau’s first official visit to Morocco.
The discussions focused on strengthening strategic relations between Morocco and the US under the leadership of King Mohammed VI and President Donald Trump.
Akhannouch expressed Morocco’s appreciation for Washington’s position on the Western Sahara dispute. The US reiterated on Wednesday its recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over the territory. It also reaffirmed its support for Morocco’s Autonomy Plan as the sole basis for a just and lasting solution to the dispute.
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The head of government also welcomed US backing for American companies seeking to invest in Morocco’s southern provinces. He outlined opportunities in green hydrogen, tourism, agriculture, and renewable energy. Akhannouch underlined Morocco’s potential as a gateway for American investment into Africa within a win-win partnership framework.
Both sides reviewed prospects for expanding economic, investment, and trade cooperation. They stressed the role of bilateral mechanisms, including the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) and the International Development Finance Corporation (DFC). The talks also addressed the involvement of American operators in Morocco’s social sectors, particularly education and health.
The encounter built on a series of engagements during Landau’s visit. On Wednesday, he held talks with Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita in Rabat.
Landau described the session on his X account as an “excellent meeting this afternoon with my friend Nasser Bourita, the highly respected and insightful Foreign Minister of Morocco.” He wrote that they discussed a wide range of bilateral, regional, and global issues.
Excellent meeting this afternoon with my friend Nasser Bourita, the highly respected and insightful Foreign Minister of Morocco. We discussed a wide range of bilateral, regional, and global issues, and I reaffirmed US recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara and… pic.twitter.com/MwJ2OvQM39
— Christopher Landau (@DeputySecState) April 29, 2026
Wednesday’s meeting covered substantial ground. Bourita announced Morocco’s decision to join Washington’s “Trade Over Aid” initiative, unveiled on April 28 in New York by US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz.
He also pointed to the launch of the 22nd edition of the African Lion military exercises, the largest of their kind on the continent.
On trade, Bourita noted that bilateral commerce has multiplied sevenfold since the Morocco-US free trade agreement entered into force – the only such agreement Washington maintains with an African country. Morocco also signed the Artemis Accords during the meeting, becoming the 64th country and the fifth in Africa to join the US-led space exploration framework.
Also on Wednesday, Landau and Buchan paid their respects at the Mohammed V Mausoleum in Rabat. They honored the legacy of King Mohammed V and King Hassan II. The US Embassy said America was “proud to stand with a partner like Morocco, whose friendship with the United States stretches back more than 250 years.”
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Landau also announced that the US would inaugurate its newest diplomatic facility in the world in Casablanca. The new consulate general, located in Casablanca Finance City (CFC), represents an investment of over $300 million.
With this opening, Morocco now hosts both the newest US diplomatic property and the oldest – the American Legation in Tangier. That building was gifted by Sultan Moulay Slimane to the US in 1821. It served as the seat of American diplomacy in Morocco for 140 years and remains the only US National Historic Landmark located outside the US.
Thursday’s talks recalled the depth of this relationship. Morocco was the first country to recognize American independence in 1777. The two nations signed the Treaty of Peace and Friendship in 1786, still in force today as the longest unbroken treaty relationship in American history. Both sides expressed their shared aspiration to build on nearly 250 years of partnership.
