Doha – The special representative of NATO for the southern neighborhood Javier Colomina believes that Morocco has shown a “greater willingness to increase the cooperation with NATO” compared to other regional countries in the past two to three years.
The special representative made these comments On Wednesday during a recently shot interview with the Spanish Outlet -Agenda Pública.
Colomina described Morocco as an outstanding “active partner” with which NATO wants to strengthen the ties.
“Morocco has experience and effective military skills from which we can learn,” he said during the interview in Brussels.
The NATO officer outlined the mutual advantages of the partnership and explained that the alliance aims to use the know -how in Morocco in dealing with regional threats.
Morocco can in turn benefit from the command and control, training, military strategy and interoperability of NATO.
“What interests us is to build a relationship that benefits both of us, the interface between your and our interests,” said Colomina and added that the relationship “must be mutually advantageous”.
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When Colomina was asked for a potential NATO membership for countries in the southern quarter, he made it clear that the current focus on strengthening political relationships and practical cooperation with both existing partners and with non-members would continue to be strengthened.
Several African nations examine options to improve their relationship with alliance, he noticed.
Colomina visited Rabat in October 2024, where he met with the Foreign Minister of Morocco, Nasser Bourita.
During this conversations he framed Morocco as a “indispensable player” in security cooperation and as a “very important partner” for the Atlantic Alliance, in particular the loyalty to the country’s efforts to combat terrorism.
Morocco’s role in the NATO frameworks is still highly viewed by alliance officials.
In April 2024, Admiral Rob Bauer, chairman of the NATO military committee, praised The country’s contributions to joint exercises, especially in relation to combating terrorism, irregular migration control and maritime security.
Morocco has been recognized as an important non-Nato allied since 2004 and has long been an estimated and steadfast security partner for NATO members.
