Rabat: Following the meeting held between the Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates, Nasser Bourita, and the Ecuadorian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Human Mobility, Gabriela Sommerfeld, both parties underscored the outstanding bilateral ties of friendship and solidarity, and agreed on the importance of sustaining these exchanges and regularly reviewing them to further strengthen cooperation.
According to Agence Marocaine De Presse, the ministers highlighted that International Law is fundamentally based on mutual respect for the territorial integrity, sovereignty, and independence of States, as well as on fulfilling obligations under treaties and other sources of international law. Both Bourita and Sommerfeld expressed satisfaction with the convergence of their views on regional and international issues and reiterated their commitment to working for global peace and security.
They emphasized the need to collaborate on global challenges through various international and multilateral platforms, addressing issues like climate change, gender issues, human rights, the blue and green agendas, food security, health, pandemic prevention and response, and combating insecurity and corruption.
The significance of implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in an integrated and holistic manner was discussed, with a focus on eradicating poverty and fighting climate change while promoting sustainable land use and water management.
During their meeting, the ministers exchanged views on regional and international issues, including situations in Africa and Latin America, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. They reaffirmed the importance of people-to-people exchanges in strengthening mutual understanding, friendship, and cooperation in communication, culture, education, sports, arts, youth, civil society, and the economy.
They also expressed their commitment to boosting investments through fluid commercial information exchange, promoting strategic alliances with the private sector, and supporting initiatives that facilitate and expand bilateral trade to multiply business opportunities and explore the potential for diversified trade and investment between the two countries.
The meeting also explored collaborative prospects within various Atlantic cooperation initiatives, voicing aspirations to make this space a geostrategic framework for dialogue aimed at promoting development, ensuring security and solidarity, and uniting the peoples of the Global South and North.
Regarding migration, Morocco and Ecuador praised ongoing efforts, especially within the framework of the Marrakesh Pact, the Rabat Process, and the Los Angeles Declaration. They reaffirmed their shared commitment to dynamic mobility that enables a safe, smooth, and orderly movement of people.
The two officials also expressed their shared will to further strengthen the bilateral legal framework to address common areas of interest in cooperation. To this end, the ministers welcomed the signing of two legal instruments: a Memorandum of Understanding on diplomatic training and exchange of experiences between Morocco’s Institute of Training, Research, and Diplomatic Studies (IMFRED) and the “Galo Plaza Lasso” Diplomatic Academy of the Ecuadorian Foreign Affairs Ministry; and a Memorandum of Understanding establishing a mechanism for bilateral political consultations.