“With this in mind, it is only natural that the Slovak Republic should be one of the key countries in the process of diversifying the Kingdom's partnerships within the European Union, particularly in Central and Eastern Europe,” he stressed at a press briefing following talks with the Slovak Republic's Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, Juraj Blanár.

He added that his Slovak counterpart's visit to Morocco was of particular importance, coming as it did at a time when Morocco was working, in accordance with the High Guidelines of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, to diversify its partnerships within the EU and open up to new partners.

The minister also expressed the Kingdom’s gratitude for Slovakia’s constructive position on the issue of Morocco’s territorial integrity, adding that the Moroccan autonomy initiative, presented in 2007, enjoys large international support, opening up prospects for the resolution of this artificial dispute within the framework of the UN and Moroccan sovereignty.

This position is part of the momentum driven by HM the King on the Moroccan Sahara issue, he noted, underlining that 22 EU countries have expressed, in one way or another, their support to the Moroccan autonomy initiative.

He added that it was agreed to develop joint initiatives with the aim of promoting peace, development and stability in the world, stressing that “we share a common vision on a large number of international issues.”

The meeting also discussed the means of strengthening cooperation in security, the fight against illegal immigration and organized crime networks and human trafficking, he added.

On the economic front, Mr. Bourita said that bilateral cooperation will be focused on three particular areas, mainly promoting exchanges of visits by officials in specific sectors such as energy, defense industries and agri-food, encouraging the private sector to engage in this momentum, and exploring ways of intensifying trade between the two countries.

“This visit marks a new stage in bilateral relations. The essential now is to translate this shared determination into concrete initiatives and tangible results, which is what we will be working on in the months ahead,” he concluded.