Moroccan, French FMs discuss economic, security ties

By Khaled Majdoub

RABAT, Morocco (AA) - The foreign ministers of Morocco and France met in Rabat on Monday to discuss means of promoting bilateral cooperation in the economic, security and cultural arenas.

“Talks focused on means of enhancing the relationship between our two countries,” Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita said in a joint press conference with his French counterpart, Jean-Yves Le Drian, who arrived in Morocco on Monday for a two-day visit.

According to Bourita, the meeting provided an opportunity to discuss a range of pressing issues, including an upcoming visit to Morocco by French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe.

Le Drian's current visit to Morocco, Bourita said, came within the context of ongoing efforts to enhance bilateral ties -- including stepped-up strategic cooperation -- between Morocco and France.

“The fight against extremism and terrorism is a key component of the continued cooperation between Rabat and Paris,” the Moroccan minister asserted, pointing in particular to what he described as “exemplary cooperation” in the security field.

Morocco, he went on to note, had recently helped train dozens of French imams as part of a bilateral agreement aimed at combatting extremist rhetoric.

In September of 2015, then French President Francois Hollande and Moroccan King Mohammed VI signed an agreement to train French imams with a view to bringing their rhetoric into line with the values ​​of “moderate” Islam.

At the press conference, Le Drian described the cooperation between the two friendly countries as “important and serious”.

Monday’s talks, he added, had focused largely on economic and security cooperation, along with the issues of migration and environment.