Egypt–Morocco relations

Last updated

Morocco-Egypt relations
Egypt Morocco Locator.png
Flag of Egypt.svg
Egypt
Flag of Morocco.svg
Morocco

Morocco-Egypt relations refers to the bilateral relations between the kingdom of Morocco and the Arab Republic of Egypt. Since independence, the two nations have maintained warm relations. Both countries are members of the African Union, the Arab League, GAFTA, WTO, the Non-Aligned Movement, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, the Council of Arab Economic Unity and the UN.

Contents

Political support

Egypt has repeatedly reiterated its support for Morocco's territorial integrity. [1] "Egypt has always backed Morocco's efforts to perfect its territorial integrity," Egyptian deputy minister of foreign affairs, Jamal-Eddine Bayoumi told Moroccan daily Al-Mounaataf. Bayoumi also stressed the need for Morocco and Egypt to consolidate trade relations among Arab states. [2]

Economic cooperation

Morocco and Egypt are both signers of the Agadir Agreement for the Establishment of a Free Trade Zone between the Arabic Mediterranean Nations, signed in Rabat, Morocco on 25 February 2004. [3] The agreement aimed at establishing a free trade area between Jordan, Tunisia, Egypt and Morocco and it was seen as a possible first step in the establishment of the Euro-Mediterranean free trade area as envisaged in the Barcelona Process. [4] They are also founding members of GAFTA, a pact made by the Arab League to achieve a complete Arab economic bloc that can compete internationally.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Foreign relations of Egypt</span> Overview of foreign relations of Egypt

The Foreign relations of Egypt are the Egyptian government's external relations with the outside world. Egypt's foreign policy operates along a non-aligned level. Factors such as population size, historical events, military strength, diplomatic expertise and a strategic geographical position give Egypt extensive political influence in the Middle East, Africa, and within the Non-Aligned Movement as a whole. Cairo has been a crossroads of the Arab world's commerce and culture for centuries, and its intellectual and religious institutions are at the center of the region's social and cultural landmarks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Foreign relations of Morocco</span>

Morocco is a member of the United Nations and belongs to the African Union, Arab League, Arab Maghreb Union (UMA), Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the Non-Aligned Movement and the Community of Sahel-Saharan States (CEN_SAD). Morocco's relationships vary greatly between African, Arab, and Western states. Morocco has had strong ties with the West in order to gain economic and political benefits. France and Spain remain the primary trade partners, as well as the primary creditors and foreign investors in Morocco. From the total foreign investments in Morocco, the European Union invests approximately 73.5%, whereas, the Arab world invests only 19.3%. Many countries from the Persian Gulf and Maghreb regions are also getting more involved in large-scale development projects in Morocco.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Political status of Western Sahara</span>

Western Sahara, formerly the Spanish colony of Spanish Sahara, is a disputed territory claimed by both the Kingdom of Morocco and the Popular Front for the Liberation of the Saguia el Hamra and Rio de Oro, which is an independence movement based in Algeria. The Annexation of Western Sahara by Morocco took place in two stages, in 1976 and 1979, and is considered illegal under international law.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arab League</span> Regional organization

The Arab League, formally the League of Arab States, is a regional organization in the Arab world, which is located in Northern Africa, Western Africa, Eastern Africa, and Western Asia. The Arab League was formed in Cairo on 22 March 1945, initially with six members: Egypt, Iraq, Transjordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and Syria. Yemen joined as a member on 5 May 1945. Currently, the League has 22 members, but Syria's participation has been suspended since November 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arab world</span> Geographical and cultural region in Africa and the Middle East

The Arab world, formally the Arab homeland, also known as the Arab nation, the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, refers to a vast group of countries, mainly located in Western Asia and Northern Africa, that linguistically or culturally share an Arab identity. A majority of people in these countries are either ethnically Arab or are Arabized, speaking the Arabic language, which is used as the lingua franca throughout the Arab world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arab Maghreb Union</span> Trade agreement among Arab countries

The Arab Maghreb Union (AMU) or simply the Maghreb Union (MU) is a political union and economic union trade agreement aiming for economic and future political unity among Arab countries States that are located primarily in the Maghreb in North Africa. Its members are the nations of Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia. The Union has been unable to achieve tangible progress on its goals due to deep economic and political disagreements between Morocco and Algeria regarding, among others, the issue of Western Sahara. No high level meetings have taken place since 3 July 2008, and commentators regard the Union as largely dormant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Council of Arab Economic Unity</span> International Arab organization

The Council of Arab Economic Unity (CAEU) was founded by Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Mauritania, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Tunisia, Syria, United Arab Emirates and Yemen on May 30, 1964, following an agreement in 1957 by the Economic Council of the Arab League.

The European Union-Mediterranean Free Trade Area, also called the Euro-Mediterranean Free Trade Area or Euromed FTA, is based on the Barcelona Process and European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP). The Barcelona Process, developed after the Barcelona Conference in successive annual meetings, is a set of goals designed to lead to a free trade area in the Mediterranean Region and the Middle East by 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arab League–Iran relations</span> Bilateral relations

Arab League–Iran relations refer to the political, economic, and cultural ties between the League of Arab States and the Islamic Republic of Iran. The former is a regional organization composed of 22 Arab states in MENA with a combined majority of Sunni Muslims, whereas the latter is a country in Western Asia with a majority of Shia Muslims.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morocco–European Union relations</span> Bilateral relations

Morocco is a neighbouring and associated country of the European Union. The nation has a territorial land border with EU member Spain in the exclaves of Ceuta and Melilla. It also has a maritime border with Spain through the Gibraltar Strait and Exclusive Economic Zone borders with EU areas in the Atlantic. The relations between the two are framed in the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) and the Union for the Mediterranean. Among the ENP countries, Morocco has been recognised an advanced status, opening up to high levels of political cooperation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Foreign relations of the Arab League</span>

The Arab League or League of Arab States was founded by Egypt in 1945, has 22 members and seven observer members so far: Armenia, Brazil, Chad, Eritrea, Greece, Republic of India, Venezuela.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outline of Morocco</span> Overview of and topical guide to Morocco

Morocco- sovereign country located in western North Africa. Morocco has a coast on the Atlantic Ocean that reaches past the Strait of Gibraltar into the Mediterranean Sea. It has international borders with Algeria to the east, Spain to the north, and a disputed border with Western Sahara to the south.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Union for the Mediterranean</span> Intergovernmental organization

The Union for the Mediterranean is an intergovernmental organization of 43 member states from Europe and the Mediterranean Basin: the 27 EU member states and 16 Mediterranean partner countries from North Africa, Western Asia and Southern Europe. It was founded on 13 July 2008 at the Paris Summit for the Mediterranean, with an aim of reinforcing the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership (Euromed) that was set up in 1995 as the Barcelona Process. Its general secretariat is located in Barcelona, Spain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arab Customs Union</span> Customs union

The Arab Customs Union is a customs union announced at the Arab League's 2009 Arab Economic and Social Development Summit in Kuwait in order to achieve a functional customs union by 2015 and an Arab common market by 2020 and to increase inter-Arab trade and integration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Economic and Social Council (Arab League)</span>

The Economic and Social Council of the Arab League is an institution of the Arab League that co-ordinates its economic integration. The ESC was established as the Economic Council under the terms of the Joint Defence and Economic Co-operation Treaty (1950). and held its first meeting in 1953. In 1957, the ESC established the Council of Arab Economic Unity (CAEU) and, in February 1997, the ESC adopted the Agreement to Facilitate and Develop Trade Among Arab Countries (1981) in pursuit of the Greater Arab Free Trade Area (GAFTA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saudi Arabia–Syria relations</span> Bilateral relations

Saudi Arabia–Syria relations refer to diplomatic and economic relations between Saudi Arabia and Syria. Diplomatic ties between these two countries of the Middle East have long been strained by the major events in the region. Relations between Saudi Arabia and Syria deteriorated further following the Syrian Civil War and Saudi Arabia's numerous calls for Bashar Assad to be removed from power. Saudi Arabia cut off relations with Syria after they decided to close its embassy in Damascus and expel the Syrian ambassador in 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Middle East economic integration</span> Efforts to unify production systems across Western Asia and Egypt

Policies advocating Middle East economic integration aim to bring about peace, stability, and prosperity in the Middle East, which they believe can only be sustained over the long run via regional economic cooperation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Egypt–Somalia relations</span> Bilateral relations

Egypt–Somalia relations are bilateral relations between Egypt and Somalia. Both nations are Arab League members and engage in close development cooperation. Somalia also has an embassy in Cairo, and Egypt is slated to reopen its embassy in Mogadishu.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morocco–Saudi Arabia relations</span> Bilateral relations

Morocco–Saudi Arabia relations refers to the current and historical relations between the Kingdom of Morocco and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Morocco has an embassy in Riyadh and Saudi Arabia has an embassy in Rabat.

References

  1. "Egypt supports Morocco's territorial integrity, says FM". Arab news. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  2. "Egypt Arabic News". Archived from the original on 13 October 2008.
  3. "Full text of the Agreement (English version)". Archived from the original on 9 January 2009. Retrieved 7 February 2009.
  4. Wippel, Steffen. "The Agadir Agreement and Open regionalism" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 October 2008. Retrieved 7 February 2009.