Under the leadership of His Majesty, the relationship between our two nations, first formally articulated in the Treaty of Peace and Friendship in 1786, has only grown deeper. Our friendship takes shape in many important ways, including security cooperation, commerce, and cultural and scientific exchange.
As Prepared for Delivery
As-salaam alaikum, and good evening, everyone.
I want to begin by thanking Her Highness for that kind introduction and for having me here this evening. It is truly an honor to be here with all of you tonight.
On behalf of President Trump and the United States government, I want to offer my congratulations to Morocco on this significant milestone: the 20th anniversary of His Majesty King Mohammed VI’s accession to the throne.
Under the leadership of His Majesty, the relationship between our two nations, first formally articulated in the Treaty of Peace and Friendship in 1786, has only grown deeper.
Our friendship takes shape in many important ways, including security cooperation, commerce, and cultural and scientific exchange. It is reflected in our close partnership in the campaign to destroy ISIS. It undergirds our free trade agreement with Morocco, our only free trade agreement with a nation on the African continent. And it fosters a rich variety of exchanges between our cultural and educational institutions.
Each year, Morocco is home to African Lion, the United States’ largest military exercise in Africa, where American and Moroccan soldiers train shoulder-to-shoulder in collaboration with other African and European nations.
Morocco remains one of our closest counter-terrorism partners, and all Moroccans should be proud that their nation was one of the first African members of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS.
We’ve worked strategically to promote stability throughout the African continent. This could not be accomplished without the more than 2,000 troops Morocco has contributed to U.N. peacekeeping missions in the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and South Sudan. Providing security in unstable areas is a cause particularly important to me, as health secretary: The United States is currently providing significant support to end the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and this work would be impossible without the contributions countries like Morocco make to providing security in such places.
Collaboration on the security front only scratches the surface of the depth of our relationship. We’ve also mutually benefited from our trade relationship.
Since the United States and Morocco entered into a free trade agreement in 2006, trade between our two countries has increased more than 300 percent.
There are more than 150 American companies now operating in Morocco, investing in energy, infrastructure projects, aviation, pharmaceuticals, and environmental technologies.
Finally, I want to acknowledge our rich exchange of culture and knowledge between our countries.
Every year, the United States supports more than 1,200 Moroccans and U.S. citizens to travel between our countries to collaborate on scientific research, to learn about each other’s rich cultural heritage, and to promote cross-cultural understanding and the values of religious freedom.
Whether it is through merit grants with the U.S. National Institutes of Health, which is part of my department, or Fulbright or other programs, these exchanges ensure that the relationship between our two countries, and the peace and prosperity it creates, will continue for generations to come.
Looking around the room tonight, you will see more evidence of that enduring, growing relationship today. We have members of Congress, representatives from multiple U.S. departments and agencies, and many leaders from the private sector here, as well.
All of us are joining this celebration because of the strong bond built between our countries, and we’re determined to work together to strengthen this vital bond into the future.
So, thank you all for being here today, and thank you, again, Your Highness, for all of your hard, dedicated work to strengthen the many bridges between our two countries. Congratulations once again on this landmark 20th anniversary of His Majesty’s accession to the throne, and thank you for having me here this evening.
