Rabat, 6 July 2022 (TDI): Minister of Foreign Affairs of Morocco Nasser Bourita received the Foreign Minister of Singapore Vivian Balakrishnan on Monday. Meanwhile, the Foreign Minister of Singapore had a letter for the King of Morocco from the President.
The letter for the Moroccan King Mohammed VI from the President of the Republic of Singapore marked this visit. Moreover, the visit coincided with the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
This was the first visit of a Singaporean foreign minister to Morocco. The visit officially ended with a joint press conference held on 5 July 2022 to discuss the bilateral talks.
An Overview of the Meeting
The organization of bilateral talks between the two countries was the main feature of the visit. In the meeting, the representatives reaffirmed the friendly ties between Morocco and Singapore.
Accordingly, the letter of the Singaporean President recognized the serious and credible efforts of the Moroccan Autonomy Plan in resolving the Saharan Conflict. Also, the letter stated Singapore’s adherence to the United Nations (UN) resolution 2602 in Sahara Conflict.
Resolution 2602 welcomed the efforts of the Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for the Sahara, Staffan de Mistura. The letter further included Singapore’s reiterated support for Morocco in its engagement in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
The visit also contained discussions on possibilities of further collaboration in areas of common interests. The two foreign ministers discussed in detail the collective efforts needed to deal with climate change and sustainable development issues.
Concurrently, the meeting also explored opportunities for enhanced connectivity in trade and investment between the two countries.
Additionally, the meeting not only included discussions on the joint development of technical assistance in Africa but also covered collaboration in organizing a pilot program for governance and leadership in October 2022.
By the end of the meeting, both sides also signed a letter of intent on cooperation in the capacity building between the respective representatives of the two countries.
Finally, the meeting ended with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two Foreign Ministers. It was signed for Collaboration under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement.
The MoU is a sign of intent of both countries in their commitment to mitigate the challenges of climate change. It is a commitment to cooperate in achieving their emission targets.
