17 Feb 2005

NATO Secretary General visits Morocco News 16/02/2005 - NATO NATO Secretary General to visit Morocco Topics NATO's Mediterranean Dialogue & Istanbul Cooperation Initiative On 17 February the Secretary General of NATO, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, paid the first ever visit by a NATO Secretary General to Morocco, in the context of the enhancement of NATO’s Mediterranean Dialogue. During the visit, the Secretary General met with King Mohammed VI and the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Mr Taïb Fassi-Fihri. He discussed with them the implementation of the more ambitious and expanded framework of NATO’s Mediterranean Dialogue, which was agreed at the 2004 Istanbul Summit. They exchanged ideas on the enhancement of the political and practical dimensions of the Dialogue and its transformation into a genuine partnership, particularly focusing on the fight against terrorism, intelligence-sharing and fighting illegal trafficking. During interviews with Moroccan media in Casablanca, the Secretary General said that “my visit in your country testifies of the importance that the Allies attach to the development of cooperative relations with Morocco.” He also said that “the Allies appreciate in particular the active role played by Morocco in the Mediterranean Dialogue and the important contribution to NATO-led peace-support operations in Balkans.”