American Tourists to Morocco Reached Almost Half Million Before COVID-19

The US embassy’s charge d’affaires is satisfied with the cooperation linking his country and Morocco.

The Charge d’Affaires at the US embassy in Morocco, David Greene, discussed the strong bonds between Washington and Rabat in recent remarks.

The diplomat extolled cooperation between his country and Morocco during an interview  on Sunday in a TV program aired by MEDI1 TV.

In the interview, Greene emphasized the quality of the cooperation between his country and Morocco in various fields, including tourism.

Greene said that the tourism sector experienced a “great boom” before COVID-19.

The number of American tourists who visited Morocco before COVID-19 reached nearly half a million, he said. Greene also expressed his hope to see the number grow after the pandemic.

The US diplomat also touted security cooperation between Rabat and Washington, saying the two allies work in this field to preserve stability in the MENA region.

Greene emphasized that Morocco and the US share common interests. He described Rabat as an “important” and a “close” partner for the US in several peacekeeping operations and counterterrorism missions.

The US official also mentioned Morocco’s key contribution to the Atlas Lion program, the largest American military exercises in Africa. The program constitutes a crucial military training opportunity not only for the US but for all of its partners in Africa, he argued.

The US-Morocco joint military exercise is due to take place in June.

This year, more than 700 troops will travel to North Africa to participate in the US-Morocco joint military exercises.

African Lion is the largest military exercise in Africa. The US will send approximately 4,000 service members.

Approximately 5,000 troops from the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces, the Tunisian Armed Forces, Senegalese Armed Forces, as well from Italy, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands, will participate.

“Moroccan-American security relations largely benefit both countries and the entire region,” Greene said.

His remarks followed similar cooperation talks between Moroccan Foreign Affairs Minister Nasser Bourita and Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Blinken held his first phone conversation with Bourita on April 30, celebrating the cooperation the two countries enjoy.

“They discussed opportunities to increase cooperation in Africa to promote economic prosperity and stability and the Secretary highlighted Morocco’s key role in fostering stability in the Sahel and Libya,” a statement from the Department of State said of the discussion.

As well as lauding Morocco’s key role in fostering stability in the Sahel and Libya, Blinken noted Morocco’s role in combating climate change through its renewable energy approach.

Source: Morocco World News.