Morocco, Visegrád Group Set to Give New Impetus to their Cooperation to Face Common Challenges

Morocco and the Visegrád “V4” Group (Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia) expressed on Tuesday during the first “V4 + Morocco” ministerial meeting, their “strong determination” to give new impetus to their cooperation to face common challenges. “Morocco and its partners within the Visegrád Group have a strong determination to strengthen their cooperation to face common challenges, particularly in the fight against terrorism, illegal immigration and cross-border organized crime”, said the Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans Abroad, Nasser Bourita, during a press conference following this meeting. Mr. Bourita highlighted on this occasion the promising prospects for cooperation between the two sides and the possibilities of expanding it to new areas by enhancing Morocco’s potential as a gateway to the African continent and those of the Visegrád Group as a platform to Central and Eastern Europe. He also underlined Morocco’s assets as a pole of stability in the region as well as its strong commitment to the growth and development of the African continent so as to become a “credible and responsible” partner for the V4. “We will work tirelessly to develop triangular cooperation initiatives between the Visegrád Group and Morocco in favor of Africa,” said Mr. Bourita, noting that the Kingdom and the V4 countries share the same conviction regarding the need to diversify partnerships to meet the various current challenges. The official, who stressed the importance that Morocco attaches to relations with the Visegrád Group, both bilaterally and to strengthen the partnership between Morocco and the EU, expressed the wish to see the common will of the two sides to strengthen their cooperation ties translate into “concrete initiatives and programs in the service of our common interests”. For their part, the Foreign Ministers of the member countries of the Visegrád Group welcomed the holding of the first “V4 + Morocco” ministerial meeting, stressing the need to continue this strong, important and enriching dialogue and to strengthen it through operational mechanisms. They were also unanimous in reiterating their appreciation of Morocco’s role as a provider of peace and stability in the region and its considerable efforts in the area of ​​security and the fight against terrorism. The V4 ministers also underlined the key role of Morocco in the fight against illegal immigration. In this regard, they insisted on the imperative for the European Union to provide more support to the Kingdom with regard to border management as well as the strengthening of its capacities in the fight against irregular immigration. The foreign ministers of the V4 countries also praised the leadership of HM King Mohammed VI and his commitment to the promotion of the values ​​of peace, stability and coexistence. Expressing their attachment to Morocco’s position as a strategic partner of the European Union, they reaffirmed the commitment of the Visegrád Group to continue defending Morocco’s interests within the EU. The V4 Ministers also noted that the European Union must provide direct and substantial support to accompany Morocco in its development efforts, reiterating the position of support for the appeal of the EU Council to the CJEU to cancel the judgments of the European court on agricultural and fisheries agreements with Morocco. The Visegrád Group (V4), which has succeeded in establishing itself as a major alliance within the EU, occasionally widens its work to other partners within the framework of so-called “V4 +” formats, depending on the European and international priorities of the Group’s presidency. The Hungarian presidency of the Visegrád Group for the 2021-2022 period indeed emphasizes the strengthening of cooperation with Morocco and the successful implementation of ongoing joint projects with the Kingdom.