Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in Beijing on Friday, establishing a strategic dialogue mechanism between the two foreign ministries.
The MoU, signed after talks between the two ministers, aims to further strengthen the strategic partnership between China and Morocco which was established in 2016.
During their talks, Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said Morocco was one of the first Arab and African countries to establish diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China.
Under the strategic guidance of the leaders of the two countries, China-Morocco relations have maintained a high level of development, he said.
"Our cooperation in various fields has yielded significant results, and the substantive value of the strategic partnership between our two nations continues to grow," Wang said.
Noting that next year will mark the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the strategic partnership between China and Morocco, Wang said China is willing to maintain high-level exchanges with Morocco, plan cooperation in various fields well, and jointly open up a brighter future for China-Morocco and China-Arab relations.
China also stands ready to work with the international community, including Morocco, to make the international order more just and equitable, Wang added.
Bourita, for his part, said developing relations with China is an unwavering strategic choice of Morocco.
Morocco firmly adheres to the one-China principle and fully supports China in safeguarding its national sovereignty and security, he said.
Bourita said Morocco is willing to deepen Belt and Road cooperation with China, expand exchanges in various fields such as tourism, education and culture, and continue to promote the strategic partnership between the two countries.
The Moroccan side supports the Global Governance Initiative proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping, he added.
The two sides also had an in-depth exchange of views on issues such as the Middle East situation.
Bourita is visiting China from Friday to Saturday at Wang's invitation.
China, Morocco sign MoU to launch strategic dialogue mechanism
China, Morocco sign MoU to launch strategic dialogue mechanism
China, Morocco sign MoU to launch strategic dialogue mechanism
Conveying Iran's conditions for ending the war to Pakistan, as a mediating country, is among the key purposes of Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi's return to Islamabad, Iran's semi-official Tasnim News Agency reported on Sunday.
According to Tasnim, Araghchi's return to Pakistan is not related to nuclear negotiations with the United States. Instead, the foreign minister is expected to discuss bilateral relations with Pakistan, along with other issues such as Iran's enforcement of a new legal system on the Strait of Hormuz, seeking war compensation, guarantees against repeated "aggression by the warmongers," and lifting the U.S. naval blockade.
Araghchi arrived in Islamabad on Sunday afternoon for his second visit since Friday, following a stop in Oman. His brief visit to Pakistan aims to continue consultations with Pakistani officials, it added.
Araghchi is scheduled to visit Russia after Pakistan on the final leg of his regional tour. During his first trip to Islamabad, he met Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Arm Chief Asim Munir.
On Feb. 28, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and other Iranian cities, killing Iran's then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, senior commanders, and civilians. Iran responded with waves of missile and drone strikes targeting Israel and U.S. assets in the Middle East, and tightened control over the Strait of Hormuz, blocking passage by vessels belonging to or affiliated with Israel and the United States.
An April 8 ceasefire was followed by Iran-US talks in Islamabad on April 11 and 12. After the negotiations collapsed, the United States imposed a blockade on the Strait of Hormuz, preventing ships to and from Iranian ports from transiting.
A new round of negotiations had been expected in Pakistan this week, but Iran declined to attend, citing continued U.S. naval pressure and "excessive demands."
U.S. President Donald Trump told Fox News Sunday that he will no longer send delegations to talk with Iran. "If they (the Iranians) want to talk, they can come to us, or they can call us," he said.
Trump said that he has great respect for Pakistan, which had been hosting U.S.-Iranian talks in Islamabad, and that Pakistan will stay involved.
He repeated that Iran cannot have nuclear weapons. "So if they want, they can call us. But again, they know what has to be in the agreement. Very simple: they cannot have a nuclear weapon. Otherwise, there's no reason to meet," said Trump.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said U.S. pressure and hostile actions are undermining trust and making progress toward renewed talks more difficult, according to a statement from his office early Sunday.
He added that Washington cannot pursue negotiations while increasing pressure on Iran, saying such actions "disrupt the necessary atmosphere" for diplomacy.
Iran's FM conveys conditions for ending war to Pakistan
