Morocco and the United States on Friday inked in Washington an unprecedented twinning agreement between the National Laboratory of Scientific Police under the General Directorate of National Security and the renowned Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in the United States.
The agreement was signed at the U.S. State Department in the presence of Assistant Secretary of State Mallory Stewart and the Moroccan ambassador to the United States, Youssef Amrani, in addition to a large Moroccan delegation made up of Director for Global Issues at the ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans Abroad, Ismaïl Chekkori, representatives of the National Authority on the Chemical Weapons Convention, Police Prefect Taoufik Sayerh and Divisional Commissioner Hakima Yahya.
This important progress in strengthening the partnership between Morocco and the United States reflects, according to Mr. Amrani, “a very special mark of trust and the unwavering commitment that drives the development of our relationship with the United States, with the constantly renewed ambition to build, in accordance with the vision of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, cooperative bridges between our nations.”
The agreement will anchor new processes and new means to further promote scientific interoperability between the laboratories, while capitalizing on “the strong existing diplomatic and political convergences in our respective visions for international peace and security,” the diplomat pointed out.
The ambassador recalled in this regard that “Morocco and the United States enjoy a unique and historic relationship built on a solid foundation of shared values and principles,” noting that the twinning agreement is “a new breakthrough which will consolidate not only Moroccan capacities, but also those of our African partners”.
The Moroccan delegation highlighted the importance of this initiative, while stressing that this twinning agreement will enrich bilateral partnership and contribute to efforts made in the area of disarmament and non-proliferation, particularly regarding the Chemical Weapons Convention.
For her part, the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State welcomed the solid partnership with Morocco, stressing that convergences with the Kingdom are not only appreciated but also continually valued.
“We have the shared ambition with Morocco to build upon what already exists, but above all to innovate and explore new areas to extend our exceptional partnership,” she underlined.
The signing of this agreement “is part of this committed effort that drives our close collaboration and we look forward to seeing this relationship continue to deepen and diversify.”
The US Assistant Secretary of State said that this is a fundamental step that will pave the way for deeper cooperation between the two countries in the area of arms control and non-proliferation, in accordance with the Chemical Weapons Convention.