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Plassnik: "Morocco a priority partner in the Mediterranean"

Morocco’s Foreign Minister meets Foreign Minister Plassnik in Vienna

Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik, President of the Council of the EU, had a meeting today with the Moroccan Foreign Minister Mohamed Benaïssa. Their discussions centred on relations between the EU and Morocco, particularly in the framework of the European neighbourhood policy. The two ministers also discussed bilateral and regional themes.

"Relations between Morocco and the EU have a long tradition. Morocco was one of the first Mediterranean countries to enter into an intense political dialogue and deeper cooperation with the EU. It was also one of the first participants in the European neighbourhood policy, a key element of which concerns action plans facilitating cooperation with the EU specifically geared to the individual country”, Plassnik said.

“With regard to regional cooperation in the Maghreb, the unsolved Western Sahara question remains the main obstacle. The EU and Austria support the United Nations' efforts to work towards a long overdue solution to this conflict”, Plassnik said.

On the subject of migration Minister Plassnik commented: "We welcome the Moroccan-Spanish-French initiative to hold a regional conference on migration and development in July in Rabat. The common objective of this meeting is to respond better to the migration flows from West Africa to Europe."

In the context of human rights, Foreign Minister Plassnik stressed the latest encouraging developments in Morocco, highlighting in particular the positive role of the 'Instance Equité et Réconciliation' in the work on coming to terms with human rights violations between 1956 and 1999. The establishment of a special human rights committee would be a welcome further development in relations between the EU and Morocco.

"Bilateral relations with Morocco are excellent. In the economic sector, the planned financial framework agreement should motivate Austrian companies to invest more in Morocco. Austria’s cultural activity in Morocco is particularly characterised by the awareness that cultural work plays an essential role in bringing Islamic and European cultural circles closer together. In this respect, the cultural projects of our embassy and the Austrian information centre in Rabat are important mediators”, she concluded.