“HM King Mohammed VI and HM Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah enjoy very close relations. This relationship is an essential element in the development and strengthening of relations between the two countries,” Bourita stressed at a press conference following talks with Brunei Darussalam’s Second Foreign Minister, Dato Erywan Pehin Yusof, who is on a working visit to Morocco.
The ties between Brunei Darussalam and Morocco, since the establishment of relations 35 years ago, are based on “solidarity and attachment to the same values, especially religion,” he said, adding that the two countries share the same vision of an open Islam and are linked by their membership of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.
Cooperation between Morocco and Brunei Darussalam includes food security, tourism, investment and academic exchanges, including 10 scholarships to be awarded by Morocco to Brunei Darussalam students starting next year, Bourita said.
For his part, Yusof noted that since the establishment of diplomatic relations between Morocco and Brunei Darussalam, the two countries have continued to develop “warm and fraternal relations,” adding that despite the geographical distance, “active exchanges between the two sovereigns, governments and students have brought our peoples closer together.”
“We have mutually benefited from exchanges in the fields of education and Islamic affairs, which have fostered greater friendship and understanding between Morocco and Brunei Darussalam,” he said.
Morocco and Brunei Darussalam are strategically positioned in Africa and Southeast Asia, and can capitalize on this advantage to strengthen “the development of economic activities,” said the Minister.
The working visit to Morocco by the Second Foreign Minister of Brunei Darussalam is the first of its kind by an official from this country. On this occasion, a Memorandum of Understanding on bilateral cooperation and consultation was signed between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Morocco and Brunei Darussalam.
