Brussels, (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita said Thursday that the north African country is the target of calculated media attacks and legal harassment aimed at undermining ties with the European Union, weeks after Belgian authorities implicated Morocco in a major corruption scandal.
Speaking at a news conference in Rabat with the EU’s top diplomat, foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, Bourita said that EU-Morocco relations are under attack.
Judicial Harassment
In rare reaction to Moroccogate, Bourita attacked the Judicial process in Belgium where Moroccogate is still being examined and investigated.
“This partnership is faced with continuous judicial harassment. This partnership is faced with repeated media attacks. This partnership is also faced with attacks in European institutions, particularly in the parliament through questions targeting Morocco, and which are the result of calculations and a desire to harm this partnership,” Bourita said.
Meetings also took place with Morocco’s Head of Government Aziz Akhannouch who received received on Thursday in Rabat Josep Borrell, the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.
Borrell is on a two-day visit to discuss bilateral cooperation and means to strengthen relations between the two parties at all levels, particularly in security and trade.
Emphasizing the importance of cooperation between Morocco and the EU, a statement from the head of government’s office said that the level of trade between the two parties has now reached more than €45 billion (around $48 billion) “and tripled in [the past] ten years.”
Moroccogate was revealed by Le Soir in early December where former Italian MEP Antonio Panzeri formed a “network” of MEPs and NGOs to pressure and Lobby for Morocco. The same network was also accused of carrying lobbying work on behalf of Qatar.
AP – Agencies
