Morocco reopens embassy in Iraq after 18-year closure
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The reopening and meeting between both countries indicate the resumption of the joint committee after setting a date for the joint Economic Forum and establishing joint facilities which allow and issue entry visas for both.
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Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita and Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein during the reopening of the embassy on January 28, 2023. (Twitter)
After 18 years of closure, Morocco reopened its embassy in Iraq, celebrated during a ceremony that Iraqi Prime Minister Mohamed Shia al Sudani spotlighted for its “relevance to strengthen bilateral relations.”
Iraqi news agency INA reported, on Sunday, that the Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs and African cooperation Nasser Bourita was hosted by al Sudani and his foreign minister, Fuad Hussein, at the embassy in Baghdad.
Alongside expressing his wish to maintain “a relationship of fruitful cooperation,” Bourita stated: “This visit is historic in that it is the first visit of a Moroccan foreign minister and government official for a long time. In addition, it will witness the opening of the Moroccan embassy in Baghdad, which was closed 18 years ago.”
نائب رئيس مجلس الوزراء وزير الخارجيَّة فؤاد حسين @Fuad_Hussein1 ونظيره المغربيّ السيّد ناصر بوريطة، يفتتحان السفارة المغربيَّة في بغداد. pic.twitter.com/IdoocuD5Te
— وزارة الخارجية العراقية (@Iraqimofa) January 28, 2023
Al Sudani underlined the significance of "fighting terrorism and extremism" with Morocco and cooperating in the joint economy, agriculture, and banking while focusing on enhancing “prospects for cooperation in the fields of clean energy, education, tourism, and culture.”
This reopening and meeting between both countries indicate the resumption of the joint committee after setting a date for the joint Economic Forum and establishing joint facilities, which allow and issue entry visas for both.
The betrayal of Palestine
The meeting between both countries involved future plans to support Palestine, denouncing the Al-Aqsa attacks and acknowledging Al-Quds as Occupied Palestine's capital - but this is where irony strikes.
David Govrin, Israeli diplomat and the director of "Israel’s" diplomatic mission in Morocco, announced plans last August in an already-signed contract to establish not an Israeli embassy but its headquarters in Rabat.
Govrin tweeted: “I am very happy to share this vision with you, which witnesses one of the historical moments I experienced with my team, as the contract was signed yesterday (1 August) to build the headquarters of the permanent Israeli embassy in Morocco.”
خطوة كبيرة اخرى تنضاف الى المجهودات الرامية الى تعزيز العلاقات بين المغرب واسرائيل. نظرا للاقبال المتزايد على الرحلات المباشرة بين البلدين، سوف تفتتح شركتي الطيران اير عربية الخطوط الملكية المغربية، خطوطا جوية جديدة ابتداء من شهر اكتوبر القادم، تربط مراكش والدار البيضاء باسرائيل.
— Dr. David Govrin (@DavidGovrin) August 8, 2021
That was the result of the announcement of Morocco's normalization with "Israel" in December 2020 calling it a "memorandum of understanding" as part of signing the Abraham Accords, which several Arab states signed to normalize with "Israel" including UAE and Bahrain.
The Moroccan national carrier Royal Air Maroc (RAM) recently announced the start of direct flights to "Israel", a year after normalizing ties.
