Nasser Bourita y Antony Blinken se reúnen con la vista puesta en el Sáhara Occidental
Morocco is making great strides in expanding and strengthening its diplomatic relations with the main powers on the international chessboard. The severing of ties with Algeria is forcing the Alawi kingdom to seek new allies while at the same time boosting relations with existing ones. Israel and the United States are two of those that, after the historic signing of the Abraham Accords a year ago, are gaining more importance in the foreign policy of the country presided over by Aziz Akhanouch. A good example of this is the numerous cooperation agreements signed between Morocco and Israel.
As is the new meeting between Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in the US capital. Bourita travelled to Washington to discuss several areas of cooperation between the two countries. The resumption of contacts between Israelis and Moroccans was praised by Blinken, who stressed the importance of Morocco for the US presence in North Africa. Relations between the White House and Rabat are a cornerstone for two parties that share a desire to deepen their diplomatic ties.
The Moroccan foreign minister believes that 'the time has come to create innovative opportunities to strengthen the partnership between the two countries'. This is relatively straightforward given that 'Moroccan-US relations are strong and historic'. Nor was there any desire to leave aside one of the most important issues for the kingdom's policy, namely the Western Sahara crisis. Antony Blinken reiterated US support on this issue, saying that "this visit came at the right time, as we now have a new UN special envoy for the Sahara, Staffan de Mistura, and I look forward to talking to the minister about his work and efforts".
The United States has maintained its support for Moroccan Sahara since December 2020 when, with Donald Trump still in the White House, it expressed its support for Morocco over the kingdom's sovereignty over the former Spanish colony. Blinken gave an interview to the BBC in which this issue was discussed and the position of the Biden Administration, which has followed the "Trumpist" line, was put on the table, saying that "his country is focused on supporting the United Nations process to move it forward, and that it is in dialogue with all parties involved".
The meeting between the Moroccan and US representatives did not want to miss the opportunity to address security, terrorism, and counter-extremism issues. It comes just days after the UK joined the list of countries that consider Hamas a terrorist organisation, which until then consisted of the United States, Canada, and the European Union. The British Home Secretary Priti Patel made the announcement, and Boris Johnson's government was also reported to have outlawed the organisation.
Morocco's cooperation with Washington continues to advance, as it does with Israel. The understanding between the three countries is key in strategic matters, as evidenced by the sale of drones by the Israelis to the kingdom, or the agreement for the production of kamikaze drones in Morocco with the collaboration of Tel Aviv, making it possible to manufacture large quantities of weapons at a lower cost. Moreover, the establishment of a new military base in the town of Afso - south of Melilla - would be one of the definitive steps in the rapprochement between Moroccans and Israelis, further strengthening their regional leadership.
