OECS Congratulates Morocco on the 21st Anniversary of The Accession to the Throne of His Majesty King Mohammed VI

The Commission of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) has the honour to offer on behalf of the Organisation and its Member States and people, warmest congratulations on the occasion of the Twenty-first (21st) Anniversary of the Accession to the Throne of His Majesty King Mohammed VI.

Five years ago, in June 2015 the Kingdom of Morocco and the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) established formal diplomatic relations.  Following the establishment of formal ties, the OECS and Morocco have built a strong relationship, expressed through agreements on means of cooperation and mutual assistance in various fields. 

In recognition of the crucial developmental role that South-South cooperation plays through sharing of lessons, good practices, policies, technologies, resources and expertise, King Mohammed VI within the past two decades made South-South cooperation the major pillar of the Kingdom’s foreign policy. His Majesty’s commitment to South-South cooperation is reflected through the actions undertaken to promote active exchange and solidarity with partnering OECS Member States.  To complement the country’s actions as regards economic, social, technical and cultural development, emphasis has been placed on human capital which is central to any development strategy.  In that regard, Morocco has made training and capacity building an essential component of its cooperation with its OECS partners.

The conclusion of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Kingdom of Morocco and the Organisation oriented towards development cooperation, specifies the commitment to strengthen and expand the friendship between the peoples of Morocco and the OECS region through intensive deepening of relations and collaboration in economic and cultural spheres. The agreement is in line with Morocco’s foreign policy.  It is underpinned by a drive for South-South cooperation and specifically targets the development needs of the OECS region. This agreement has led to mutual benefit for both parties.

The operationalisation of concluded MOUs between the Kingdom of Morocco and the OECS has resulted in the conduct of numerous training programmes under the aegis of the Moroccan Agency for International Cooperation (AMCI) in the areas of diplomacy, tourism, entrepreneurship, marketing, hospital management, ocean resource management and marine fisheries. Officials from all OECS Member States participated in the training programmes which were conducted in Morocco.  The invaluable coordinating/support role of the Embassy of the Kingdom of Morocco in Saint Lucia in facilitating the participation of OECS officials from various sectors of the Member Countries is acknowledged and greatly appreciated.  These training/exchange initiatives have contributed to the strengthening of human capacity in OECS Member States in critical fields. 

In 2019 OECS Member States established a joint diplomatic presence in Morocco with the commissioning of the joint Embassies of Eastern Caribbean States in Rabat.   The joint diplomatic embassies represent Antigua and Barbuda, the Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines   It is envisioned that the physical presence of the OECS countries in Rabat would significantly enhance relations and broaden cooperation in various sectors to reflect the integrated nature of sustainable development.  It is further envisioned that the ECS presence in Rabat would permit intense focus on identifying specific needs and the design of technical assistance programmes to address those needs; and the promotion of business to business relations for investment, trade and overall private sector development needs of individual Member Countries of the OECS.

The Organisation is appreciative of this partnership and looks forward to cooperating closely with the Government of Morocco and the relevant agencies for international cooperation to further expand the South-South cooperation thrust for the mutual benefit of our peoples.

As the Kingdom of Morocco celebrates the Twenty-first Anniversary of the Accession to the Throne of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, the Commission extends very best wishes for continued peace, stability and prosperity.  The Commission also takes this opportunity to express its gratitude to the Kingdom of Morocco for its continuous support and contribution to the development of the OECS region. 

(The Embassy of the Kingdom of Morocco was established in Saint Lucia in March 2014 and covers all OECS Member States, as well as Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica and the Bahamas.)