The following is attributable to Spokesperson Ned Price:
Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken met today with Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita in Washington, D.C. Secretary Blinken emphasized that the longstanding bilateral partnership is rooted in shared interests in regional peace, security, and prosperity. The Secretary and the Foreign Minister discussed a range of regional issues, including the continued deepening of relations between Morocco and Israel. They hailed the upcoming first anniversary of the Joint Declaration among Morocco, Israel, and the United States on December 22. The Secretary and the Foreign Minister expressed strong support for the new United Nations Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General Staffan de Mistura in leading the U.N.-led political process for Western Sahara. The Secretary noted that we continue to view Morocco’s autonomy plan as serious, credible, and realistic, and one potential approach to satisfy the aspirations of the people of Western Sahara. The Secretary and Foreign Minister also discussed the newly formed Moroccan government’s efforts to advance King Mohammed VI’s reform agenda, the importance of promoting human rights and fundamental freedoms, and building on the productive September U.S.-Morocco dialogue on human rights.
