The celebration this year of the 300th anniversary of the first peace and trade treaty signed between the two kingdoms, testifies to this millennial relationship which is now looking to the future and will be strengthened by the entry into force of their post-Brexit Association Agreement.
In addition, the new foreign policy of the United Kingdom, "Global Britain", has helped to inject a new dynamic to its relations with Morocco, strengthening the strategic dialogue that is taking place since the visit to London in 2018 of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans Abroad, Nasser Bourita.
This has helped identify the strategic issues of Morocco-UK relations, allowing from its first session to establish a strategic security dialogue, while the British Department of Transport had proposed to strengthen technical cooperation in the field of ship and port security.
In addition, Morocco was one of the first countries with which the United Kingdom concluded an Association Agreement, in October 2019, thus anticipating the legal vacuum that would cause the exit of the United Kingdom from the European Union.
This partnership restores, in the context of bilateral relations, all the benefits that the two countries granted each other, mutually, under the Association Agreement Morocco-EU, allowing for a continuation of trade between the two countries and offering the necessary guarantees to economic operators on both sides.
Aware of the interest in preserving the continuity of bilateral relations as well as the mutual interests of the two Kingdoms, diplomats from both countries had a dense exchange of visits during the period preceding the entry into force of the Brexit, to ensure that Morocco-UK relations emerge unscathed.
In addition to undoubtedly testifying to the depth of ties between the two countries, the Morocco-UK Association Agreement reflects the relevance and insight of the policy initiated under the leadership of HM King Mohammed VI to diversify the Kingdom's partnerships and consolidate its position as a hub in Africa.
This is also a boon for the British government which aims to become by 2022, the 1st investor of G7 countries in Africa. In this context, the British Chamber of Commerce in Morocco has stressed the importance of Morocco in this process as a bridge and link with the African continent.
The Kingdom could also become a destination of choice for post-Brexit British investment, especially since several previous agreements are likely to facilitate this process.
One of the most recent being the Memorandum of Understanding concluded in 2020, on the sidelines of the "UK-Africa Investment Summit" in the British capital, aimed at the creation of a joint working group for the promotion of trade and investment opportunities offered by the two kingdoms.
It was also on the sidelines of this summit, which already foreshadowed the contours of the new British foreign policy, that the first session of Morocco-UK Business Dialogue took place, bringing together more than 110 Moroccan companies and 225 British operators with a view to presenting the trade and investment opportunities that the two countries have to offer.
In addition, the two previous editions of the strategic dialogue have helped to revitalize cultural cooperation, with the signing of a memorandum of understanding for the creation of a Joint Cooperation Committee in the field of education and an agreement on the British school system in Morocco.
On the ground, this has resulted in the opening of the first British international school "British Academy School of Marrakech" at the beginning of the academic year 2019-2020, with the aim of continuing this momentum to open other schools across Morocco.
Climate cooperation is not left out since the two kingdoms are positioned as world leaders in ecological action; a fact that is confirmed by the report accompanying the ranking of the Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI), in which the New Climate Institute estimated that together with the Scandinavian countries, "the United Kingdom and Morocco, lead the race towards carbon neutrality."
A convergence of views that was evident at the last World Climate Summit (COP26) held in Glasgow and during which the British presidency has chosen the Kingdom to be among a very short list of 20 countries that took part in the World Summit of Leaders on "accelerating innovation and deployment of clean energy."
The COP26 Regional Ambassador for the Middle East and Africa, Janet Rogan, took the opportunity to describe Morocco as "a leader in Africa pushing for a breakthrough in new technologies in energy production."
This set of elements augurs a bright future for relations that began in 1213 and should be further consolidated through the 3rd session of the strategic dialogue and the 1st session of the Association Council scheduled in London.