Speaking at a press briefing following his talks with his Brazilian counterpart, Mauro Vieira, on an official visit to Morocco, Mr. Bourita stressed that His Majesty King Mohammed VI and the President of the Federal Republic of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, cultivate “the same vision for a balanced international order, more equitable global governance and stronger and more ambitious South-South relations”.
The Heads of State of the two countries also share the same approach to environmental protection and the rights of migrants, and to cooperation with Africa according to an optimistic approach, continued the minister, calling Brazil a “voice constructive” on regional and international issues.
In this sense, he noted that HM the King is convinced of the leading role of Brazil within international institutions, in the reform of the UN Security Council and other international governance bodies, having regard to the distinguished position of this country on the world stage.
Morocco, said Mr. Bourita, has always considered Brazil as a major international actor, which defends the rights of countries of the South and works in favor of constructive and equitable solutions to international and regional issues, as well as a key partner in multilateral level.
In the same context, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans Abroad noted that Moroccan-Brazilian relations are deeply rooted in history, in the sense that they date back to the 19th century. at the time of Sultan Moulay Slimane, noting that the Kingdom was among the first countries to recognize the independence of Brazil in 1860, a date which coincided with the arrival of the first Moroccan migrants in this country.
Regarding the visit to Rabat of the Brazilian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Bourita indicated that it comes in a very important context, twenty years after the visit of His Majesty King Mohammed VI to Brasilia in November 2004 and the meeting of the Sovereign with President Mr. Lula da Silva.
His Majesty’s meeting with the Brazilian President on the occasion of this visit marked a major turning point in bilateral relations, insofar as it breathed new dynamism into relations between the two countries, but also into regional cooperation, international and multilateral, he noted.
This visit, which is also part of the very positive dynamic that bilateral relations are experiencing on the political, economic, security and military levels, “allowed us to make significant progress on numerous issues and opened up perspectives for the launching other initiatives in line with the ambitions of His Majesty King Mohammed VI and His Excellency the Brazilian President,” he continued.
On the economic level, trade has doubled since 2017, recording a significant jump in the areas of food security and fertilizers, he added, noting that the Office Chérifien des Phosphates (OCP) is initiating very important with Brazil, one of the Kingdom’s main partners in this area.
Regarding tourism, the announcement was made this Friday of the resumption of the Royal Air Maroc group’s flight between Casablanca and Sao Paolo from December.
At the security and military levels, Mr. Bourita stressed that a memorandum of understanding relating to the promotion of bilateral cooperation and the exchange of expertise in the field of security was recently signed.
Furthermore, he indicated that the joint press release made public following the talks between the two parties will make it possible to establish a mechanism for strategic dialogue between Morocco and Brazil and offers a framework for implementing joint initiatives both at the regional and multilateral level.
Addressing the positive dynamics and bilateral relations which have experienced significant growth, he said that the Brazilian Minister of Foreign Affairs sent him an invitation to visit Brazil, announcing on this occasion that he will visit this country around the end of this year or early next year, in order to consolidate bilateral relations and strengthen coordination between the two countries.
On another note, the minister indicated that he had also examined with his Brazilian counterpart the situation in the Middle East, taking into account the interest given to this region by HM the King, President of the Al Quds Committee, stressing that the Vision Royale converges with that of Brazil, regarding the need to achieve a ceasefire, to end the suffering of civilians, to deliver international aid and to initiate a new dynamic in favor of the solution to two states, with the establishment of a Palestinian state on the basis of the 1967 borders, with Al Quds-East as its capital, living side by side with the State of Israel.