Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates, Nasser Bourita, received, on Monday in Rabat, the Panamanian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Javier Martínez-Acha Vásquez, who delivered a written message to His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God assist Him, from the President of the Republic of Panama, His Excellency José Raul Mulino.
The message from the Panamanian President reflects the shared will of the Heads of State of both countries to strengthen the positive momentum in relations between the Kingdom of Morocco and the Republic of Panama and to elevate them to broader horizons of cooperation and complementarity in the service of the two friendly nations.
The Panamanian Minister stated during a press briefing following the meeting that the autonomy initiative presented by Morocco in 2007 “should be the only solution for the future,” emphasizing his country’s clear support for the autonomy plan as a means to advance toward a lasting resolution of the dispute.
Panama’s support for the autonomy initiative proposed by the Kingdom to resolve the Moroccan Sahara dispute comes after its decision to sever all ties with the so-called “sadr” in November 2024.
Panama hailed the momentum of openness and modernization underway in Morocco, under the enlightened leadership of HM King Mohammed VI, and expressed its appreciation for Morocco’s pioneering role in Africa, making the Kingdom a credible and valued partner on the international stage.
In this respect, Panama’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Javier Martínez-Acha Vásquez, commended, in a Joint Communiqué signed on Monday in Rabat following his talks with Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates, Nasser Bourita, HM King Mohammed VI’s regional and international leadership, mainly Morocco’s role in Africa.
In this respect, he underlined key projects such as the Royal Initiative aiming to promote stability, security and economic prosperity in Atlantic riparian African countries, the Initiative aiming to facilitate access for Sahel countries to the Atlantic Ocean and the African Atlantic Gas Pipeline megaproject, which represent the Kingdom of Morocco’s pioneering commitment to South-South cooperation.
The head of Panamanian diplomacy also praised the role of the Kingdom of Morocco, under the leadership of HM the King, as a pioneering player in counter-terrorism, fighting organized crime and preserving peace and security in Africa.
The two Ministers also explored the prospects for collaboration in the various Atlantic cooperation initiatives.
They also expressed their aspiration to make this area a geostrategic framework for concerted action to promote development and guarantee security, solidarity and understanding between South-South and South-North peoples.
Morocco and Panama reiterated their commitment to further bolstering their bilateral ties.
In the joint communiqué, the two Ministers underscored the excellent ties of friendship and solidarity between the two countries and concurred on the need to maintain these exchanges and take stock of the bilateral relationship, to further reinforce it.
The two sides delved into collaboration prospects in the numerous Atlantic cooperation initiatives, expressing their ambition to turn the area into a geostrategic framework for concerted action to promote development and guarantee security, solidarity and closer ties between South-South and South-North peoples.
The two foreign Ministers stressed that Morocco and Panama enjoy strategic geographic situations positioning them as vital hubs in the main international trade roads.
As converging countries in terms of their maritime role, the two senior officials highlighted the fundamental role of the Tanger Med port, recognized as one of the most advanced logistics centers in Africa and a gateway to the Mediterranean, as well as the importance of the Panama Canal, which efficiently links Atlantic and Pacific oceans, facilitating global maritime trade.
They also expressed their firm commitment to intensifying investment through a fluid exchange of business information, the promotion of strategic alliances with the private sector, and the active promotion of initiatives facilitating and developing bilateral trade, in order to multiply business opportunities and explore the potential for diversifying trade and investment between the two countries.
Emphasizing the positive results achieved in the development of their bilateral and multilateral relations, Bourita and Vásquez expressed their shared willingness to continue strengthening the bilateral legal framework, in order to address areas of common interest for cooperation.
To this end, they welcomed the signing of several legal instruments, namely the Agreement on the Abolition of Visas for Diplomatic and Official Passports between the Kingdom of Morocco and the Republic of Panama, the Roadmap for Cooperation between the Kingdom of Morocco and the Republic of Panama 2025-2027 and the Joint Declaration sanctioning the videoconference of November 27, 2024.
