Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates, Mr. Nasser Bourita received, on Friday, March 19, 2021, in Rabat, his Guinean counterpart, Ibrahima Khalil Kaba, who was carrying a message from the President of the Republic of Guinea, H.E Alpha Condé, to His Majesty King Mohammed VI.
Speaking at a press conference held following talks with Mr. Bourita, Mr. Kaba underlined the quality and the strength of the Moroccan-Guinean relations, which were further strengthened thanks to the mutual visits of the leaders of the two countries.
M. Kaba, who chose Morocco as his first official visit since his appointment as Guinean FM, stressed that “Guineans are aware that Morocco has always been there for us when we go through difficult circumstances”, expressing his thanks to His Majesty the King for the support he provided to Guinea, particularly during the Ebola epidemic, when Morocco was one of the few countries to keep its airlines operational, which ensured the delivery of medical and humanitarian aid to Guinea during this period.
For his part, Mr. Bourita noted that the visit of the Guinean official to Morocco reflects the special and exceptional nature of the bilateral relations between the two countries, stressing that the two royal visits to Guinea in 2014 and 2017, and the six visits of the president Guinean in Morocco, have initiated a new dynamic and given a strong impetus to these relations.
Mr. Bourita also expressed his thanks to the Guinean President for his permanent and effective support to the Moroccan Sahara issue, and for his constant solidarity with the Kingdom in the various regional and international bodies.
The Moroccan Minister said that he agreed with M. Kaba to accelerate the implementation of several agreements signed by the leaders of the two countries, adding that “most of these agreements have already been implemented, while others must be supported for faster execution “.
The visit of the Guinean FM to Morocco will further promote coordination between the two countries on various issues of common interest, in order to develop a roadmap for the implementation of all these agreements, Bourita said.
The Minister pointed out that an important axis of bilateral cooperation was discussed with his counterpart, namely training, given that Morocco hosts more than 5,000 Guinean students, adding that the number of annual training scholarships for Guinean students was extended to 270, including those concerning training in the southern provinces of the Kingdom, in view of the opening by Guinea of a consulate in the city of Dakhla.
During this meeting, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Guinean Diplomatic Training Center and the Moroccan Academy of Diplomatic Studies with a view to strengthening coordination between the two countries and developing skills in diplomatic matters.
Talks also focused on regional and international issues, especially the situation in the Sahel and West Africa regions, said Bourita, stressing that “the two countries share similar points of view on these issues”.