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Romania Denounces Iranian Interference in Morocco’s Internal Affairs
On Friday, Romanian Foreign Affairs Minister, Teodor Melescanu, expressed his approval of Morocco’s decision to cut ties with Iran, emphasizing that his country is against any interference that may undermine the stability of Morocco, moroccoworldnews.com reports.
Commenting on Morocco’s diplomatic move, the Romanian official said that the stability of Morocco vital to the security of the region and the world.
Melescanu made his remarks in Rabat on Friday, during his meeting with Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Nasser Bourita.
During his working visit in Rabat, the Romanian minister confirmed that Morocco can count on the support of Bucharest.
“We are against any interference by states, organizations, political parties, or others, which can affect and harm the stability of Morocco,” he added during a press conference at the end of his talks with Bourita.
On Tuesday, Morocco announced its decision to cut ties with Iran due to its involvement in delivering military equipment to the Polisario and training its militias.
The Arab League and the Gulf Cooperation Council backed Morocco’s move, calling Iran’s support of Hezbollah an attempt to “destabilize Morocco and undermine its territorial integrity.”
Gulf countries have noted that Iran “is destabilizing the security of Islamic countries by igniting sectarianism, interfering in their internal affairs, and supporting terrorism.”
Durig this visit, Morocco and Romania inked Friday in Rabat a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to cement diplomatic cooperation and a bilateral agreement in the area of training.
Under the MoU, signed by the Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita and his Romanian counterpart Teodor Melescanu, the two parties agreed to hold regular consultations to review their bilateral relations.
In accordance with the MoU, the parties will exchange views on international and regional issues of common interest, including international political developments and international and regional conflicts or disputes, with a view to enhancing the positive role of the United Nations and other organizations in alleviating conflicts and problems facing the international community.
As for the cooperation agreement, it was signed between the Moroccan Academy of Diplomatic Studies (AMED) and the Romanian Diplomatic Institute with the aim of establishing and consolidating mutual cooperation in the training of young diplomats, as well as the exchange of experiences, information and documentation.
"The stances of the two countries are virtually identical regarding the development of bilateral relations and cooperation in multilateral bodies, notably the European Union and the United Nations," Melescanu stressed at a press briefing after his talks with Bourita.
Melescanu praised the Moroccan-Romanian ties, based on "mutual respect" and the willingness of both countries to develop their bilateral relations in trade, noting that Morocco remains Romania's most important trading partner in Africa and the Middle East.
For his part, Bourita expressed his country's willingness to deepen bilateral cooperation with Romania as well as triangular cooperation in favor of the African continent.
He also commended the "positive and constructive action" of Romania regarding the issues of the partnership between Morocco and the EU.
The Moroccan foreign minister said that the meeting was also an opportunity to identify other areas of cooperation to reach agreements on them during the upcoming joint Moroccan-Romanian commission expected later on this year in Bucharest.
During his visit to Morocco, the head of the Romanian diplomacy had talks with the head of the Moroccan Government, Saadeddine El-Othmani; as well as meetings with Hayat Bouffarrachen, vice-president of the House of Representatives; and Larbi Laraichi, chairman of the Morocco-Romania Parliamentary Friendship Group in the House of Councillors of the Moroccan Parliament. He also had a meeting with Morocco's Minister of Education, Vocational Training, Higher Education and Research Saaid Amzazi. The two dignitaries noted with satisfaction the increasing interest of young Moroccans in continuing their university studies in Romania, saying that academic mobility, direct contacts and co-operation between universities in the two countries should be encouraged and sustained, especially with the presence in Romania of almost 1,350 young Moroccans studying at various faculties in Romania," says a press release sent by Romania's Foreign Affairs Ministry (MAE)
Also welcomed was the establishment of the first Romanian Language Lecturer's Office in North Africa, which will become operational in the academic year 2018-2019.
Melescanu was on an official visit to Morocco on May 3-4, at the invitation of his Moroccan counterpart Nasser Bourita.