Recognizing the U.S.-Moroccan Economic and Security Partnership

Floor Speech

Mr. Speaker, this week I had the pleasure of attending a business meeting with a high level delegation from Morocco during His Majesty King Mohammed VI of Morocco's visit to Washington. During this meeting, we discussed U.S.-Morocco trade and I am glad that FedEx, a major provider of high value-added logistics, transportation and other business services that is headquartered in my district, was also able to take part in this constructive meeting. As Morocco was the first country with whom the U.S. signed a treaty of commerce and friendship, I commend this week's meeting as symbolic of our long and trusted relationship.

The business delegation meeting was hosted by our former colleague, Toby Moffet, and the Mayer Brown law firm. The Moroccan delegation included: Mr. Abdessalam Ahizoune, CEO of Maroc Telecom; Mr. Mohamed El Kettani, CEO of Attijariwafa Bank; Mr. Karim Hajji, CEO of the Casablanca Stock Exchange; and Mr. Said Ibrahimi, CEO of the Moroccan Finance Board. In addition to FedEx, which is present in 55 African countries and growing, American companies represented at the meeting were JP Morgan Chase, BNY Mellon, Citi, Bank of America, Chevron and the Global Cold Chain Storage Alliance. We heard from Mr. Said Ibrahimi, who also serves as the head of the Casablanca Finance City project, on how the city of Casablanca is positioning itself as a location for U.S. multinational companies to consider for their African headquarters. This would significantly increase economic opportunities in the region and expand markets for U.S. companies.

In addition to our strong business ties, the U.S. and Morocco share similar democratic values and common foreign policy goals in North Africa and the Middle East. In August 2011, I spearheaded a letter to His Majesty King Mohammed VI recognizing Morocco's constitutional reforms that included protections for the rights of vulnerable groups and a national plan to promote human rights. His Majesty King Mohammed VI also established the Economic and Social Council to ensure that all Moroccans are afforded opportunities for economic independence. Since that time, His Majesty King Mohammed VI has shown great leadership in his dedication to his people and support for broader democratic reforms and decentralization of decision-making to the local level. Morocco has also lent its support to emerging democracies across the African continent as well as long-overdue peace agreements between Israelis and the Palestinians. It is indeed refreshing to see the enormously constructive role Morocco continues to play not only in its region but across the continent and beyond.

As we welcome His Majesty King Mohammed VI of Morocco and his delegation to Washington, let us remember that Morocco was the first country to recognize our independence and that today, we share commitments to peace, democracy, regional stability and economic stability. Through our continued cooperation and increased business relationships, we will continue to meet our common security and economic goals while strengthening our relationship for years to come.

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