Morocco, Finland Seek to Explore ‘All Available Opportunities’ to Boost Cooperation – FMs

Morocco and Finland wish to explore “all available opportunities” to strengthen their cooperation both bilaterally and on regional and international issues, assured the Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation, and Moroccan Expatriates, Nasser Bourita, and his Finnish counterpart, Elina Valtonen, following their talks on Tuesday in Helsinki. This meeting allowed for the discussion of “several important international issues related not only to the challenges linked to the geopolitical environment in which we, in the Arab region, around North Africa, the Middle East, but also all the opportunities available to us, including through commercial and economic cooperation, for us, for our peoples, for the region, and for the entire world,” stated Valtonen during a joint press briefing with Bourita, currently on a working visit to Finland. Bourita, on his part, expressed himself as “very satisfied” with the outcome of his “fruitful” discussions with his Finnish counterpart, emphasizing that with Finland “we have good relations based on mutual trust and shared values,” hence the interest in “using all opportunities to strengthen cooperation.” The minister notably highlighted the importance of promoting political dialogue, economic cooperation, and coordination on international and regional issues, as well as those related to the international system where “we must be active together.” “We also discussed other international issues related to the Sahel, Ukraine,” added Bourita, reiterating in this regard Morocco’s support for the territorial integrity of Ukraine and its national sovereignty, while insisting on respecting UN resolutions by favoring dialogue to resolve these issues. Regarding the situation in the Middle East, the minister expressed Morocco’s concern about “the cycle of violence” in the region, warning that “targeting civilians is likely to exacerbate the escalation in the region, and thus fuel hatred between its peoples.” “We must all be concerned about this situation,” he stated, urging the parties to “refrain from any escalation.” In a joint statement issued after the meeting between Bourita and Valtonen, Morocco and Finland emphasized that their bilateral relations are excellent and beneficial for both countries, reaffirming their shared willingness to strengthen and expand them. The two countries committed to maintaining and further deepening their collaboration in multilateral forums such as the UN, particularly within the UN Human Rights Council, which Morocco is chairing for 2024, and Finland is vice-chairing. This meeting, which coincides with the 65th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Rabat and Helsinki, allowed the two ministers to exchange views on several current international and bilateral issues. The Helsinki talks between the two ministers represent a significant step in strengthening bilateral relations between Finland and Morocco, marked in the first half of this year by the visit of the President of the Finnish Parliament to Rabat and sectoral ministerial meetings in the water and energy sectors.