Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita and Sierra Leonean counterpart David John Francis inked, on Friday in the city of Dakhla (southern provinces), thirteen agreements and MoUs on different matters.
The accords were inked within the framework of the 3rd joint committee which did not convene for fifteen years. The body aims to consolidate the strategic partnership between the two countries.
The agreements touched on many areas, such as the legal field, health, education and training, trade, urban planning, energy, diplomacy, and the promotion of investments.
Bourita remarked that the fertile ground of investments is not fully exploited to give a boost to this partnership.
He highlighted the importance of Sierra Leon in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and thanked his peer for supporting Morocco’s causes continentally and internationally.
The top official expressed Morocco’s readiness to increase the number of scholarships for Sierra Leonean students, which currently amount to more than 150 academic scholarships, and 30 for training, mainly in the southern provinces.
As for the Sierra Leonean minister, he reiterated, in a joint statement at the end of the meeting, his country’s position on the Moroccan Sahara and in favor of Morocco’s unity and territorial integrity, a position mirrored in its opening of a consulate in Dakhla in August 2021.
The minister insisted on the fact that the Security Council permanent members should support Morocco’s national cause to end this artificial conflict.
He expressed his country’s willingness to further develop bilateral ties, saying that Dakhla’s port will be the key in such dynamic.
Francis concluded by saying that the Kingdom is not only a friendly country, but also a real ally.