NATO official: Morocco is key player in fight against terrorism

RABAT – NATO’s Special Representative for the Southern Neighbourhood, Javier Colomina, said Wednesday in Rabat that Morocco was a "key player" in terms of security and a "very important partner" for the Atlantic Alliance.

Following his talks with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans Abroad, Nasser Bourita, the senior official of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) noted that the Kingdom was "a key player" in the fight against terrorism, highlighting the "practical cooperation" linking the two parties.

“Morocco is an important country in North Africa and the Middle East and a valuable interlocutor for NATO on security issues, particularly in the field of counter-terrorism,” said Colomina.

“Morocco is the first among the partners within NATO’s Mediterranean Dialogue to conclude an Individually Tailored Partnership Programme of practical cooperation with the Alliance,” he said, adding that the North African kingdom has always been an important contributor to peace and international security, particularly through its contributions to various missions and operations carried out by NATO.

Colomina discussed with Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita the opportunities and means to deepen the excellent cooperation between NATO and Morocco on the political, civil and military levels, recalling that Morocco is a member of the Mediterranean Dialogue, a partnership forum intended to promote security and stability throughout the Mediterranean basin.

“Our partnership is based on shared values and challenges, and given the challenges that the region is facing – in particular, instability in the Sahel but also in the Middle East – we need to cooperate even more closely and with more determination in support of international peace and mutual security,” he added.

Colomina stressed that his trip to Morocco aims to examine with the "important interlocutors of the region" the issues of common concern to "try to seek common solutions", citing the challenges related to the fight against terrorism, cybersecurity, maritime security and migration.