Secretary Antony J. Blinken and Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita Before Their Meeting

SECRETARY BLINKEN: Well, good morning everyone. It's as always a great pleasure to be with my colleague and friend Nasser Bourita, foreign minister of Morocco. Very much look forward to consulting on a lot - a variety of issues that we work on together, particularly stability both in the Middle East as well as in Africa and North Africa. Morocco is an essential partner to the United States, and I greatly value not only the relationship between our countries but also the partnership of my friend the foreign minister. We're, of course, tracking events in the Middle East very closely. And the United States is committed to Israel's defense. We're watching developments, as I said, very carefully in this moment.

Nasser.

FOREIGN MINISTER BOURITA: Thank you, Tony. And as we are meeting today, our two countries are celebrating the 20th anniversary -

SECRETARY BLINKEN: That's right.

FOREIGN MINISTER BOURITA: - of two milestones of our relationship: the FTA, the only one the USA has with an African country; and the African Lion military exercise, the largest military exercise the USA has in the continent. We are also, as you said, partners for peace. And it is vital (inaudible) today as we are witnessing escalations in the Middle East, problems in the Sahel, in Libya, in Europe. So it's an opportunity to coordinate, and his majesty values this partnership. And we would like to work together to bring peace to all these parts of the world.

SECRETARY BLINKEN: Thank you.

FOREIGN MINISTER BOURITA: It's always a pleasure to be here.

SECRETARY BLINKEN: Thanks. Thanks very much. Thanks.