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NATO: Morocco, a strategic partner and Mediterranean dialogue driving force | Maghreb Arab Press
NATO officials praise Morocco’s role as a “strategic partner” and “promoter of international cooperation”:
Morocco, thanks to its active commitment to peace and stability, is a key strategic partner of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and has become a driving force and a privileged interlocutor in the Mediterranean at a time when the region is facing major security challenges, said several NATO officials on Thursday in Brussels.
Morocco and NATO, which share the same goals of peace and security, have a multi-faceted cooperation and a special relation as part of the Mediterranean dialogue and bilaterally, they told a delegation of Moroccan journalists visiting the NATO headquarters.
“Morocco is a major strategic partner for NATO and a driving force of the Mediterranean dialogue which has just celebrated its 20th anniversary,” said Oana Lungescu, NATO spokesperson.
Highlighting Morocco’s active role as a promoter of international cooperation, she said that, given the changes that took place eastern Europe and south of the Mediterranean, the Kingdom is among the interoperable partners with which the Alliance wants to have a dynamic cooperation.
Bilaterally, she recalled that the NATO-Morocco partnership framework was renewed in 2013, noting that cooperation with Morocco focuses on the counterterrorism fight and interoperability.
Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs and Security Policy of NATO James Appathurai underlined that Morocco is a very active country with a good spirit for multilateral negotiations.
Concerning security cooperation, Lieutenant-Colonel Henri Lambaré, from the Cooperation and Regional Security Division, International Military Staff, said that Morocco is an active partner as it has participated in activities of NATO military cooperation as the IFOR/SFOR in Bosnia 1996-2004, and KFOR in Kosovo 1999-2014…[Original Story, Subscription Required]