A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) establishing a strategic dialogue between Morocco and Austria was signed on Wednesday in Vienna by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates, Mr. Nasser Bourita, and the Federal Minister for European and International Affairs Mr. Beate Meinl-Reisinger.

This agreement falls within the framework of the willingness of the two countries to promote the development of friendly relations and cooperation in several fields, particularly political and economic, with a view to upgrading them to a strategic partnership, in accordance with the principles of mutual respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity, independence and non-interference in internal affairs.

Through this MoU on strategic dialogue, Morocco and Austria reaffirm their conviction that consultations and the exchange of information on bilateral, regional and international issues of common interest will contribute to deepening mutual understanding between the two countries.

Based on the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, the text enshrines the centrality of the historic and privileged partnership between Morocco and Austria, which celebrated on 28 February 2023 the 240th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic relations.

It also comes within the continuity of the strong momentum and significant progress achieved following the official visit to the Kingdom of Morocco by the Austrian Chancellor, Karl Nehammer, crowned by the adoption, on 28 March 2023 in Rabat, of the Joint Declaration between the two countries.

In this context, Rabat and Vienna express their shared willingness to upgrade bilateral cooperation and to establish a strategic dialogue aimed at deepening existing areas of cooperation and developing new avenues of collaboration in different fields of common interest.