Morocco and Ecuador Launch a New Era of Strategic Cooperation with the Opening of the Embassy in Rabat and the Signing of Comprehensive Partnership Agreements
By: Meryem Hafiani – ALDAR
Morocco and Ecuador have taken a decisive step in strengthening their bilateral relations with the official opening of the Ecuadorian Embassy in Rabat. This milestone marks a major advancement in Ecuador’s diplomatic presence in Africa and broadens the prospects for cooperation between the two countries in key and diverse sectors.
The inauguration took place during an official visit to Morocco by Ecuador’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Human Mobility, Gabriela Sommerfeld, who led a full agenda aimed at consolidating political, economic, and security ties between the two nations. On this occasion, the minister expressed her deep gratitude to His Majesty King Mohammed VI for his strong support in making this diplomatic initiative a success.
Sommerfeld stated that the opening of the Ecuadorian Embassy in Morocco embodies President Daniel Noboa’s vision of a pragmatic foreign policy based on building strategic partnerships with influential regional powers. She added that this step serves as a platform to expand cooperation in vital areas such as trade, investment, security, the fight against organized crime and terrorism, intelligence, and technology.
As part of efforts to strengthen the institutional framework of bilateral relations, the two countries signed two memorandums of understanding. The first aims to establish a mechanism for regular political consultations to exchange views on political, economic, scientific, and cultural issues, in line with global developments. The second concerns enhanced cooperation between diplomatic academies through experience-sharing, joint training programs, seminars, and short-term courses in areas of common interest.
The Ecuadorian minister also reaffirmed her country’s strong commitment to tackling transnational challenges, especially organized crime, emphasizing the need for increased regional and international coordination to counter this threat to security, stability, and sustainable development. She called for closer cooperation with the Kingdom of Morocco in this area and for laying the foundations of a new international order based on solidarity and shared interests.
Among the practical measures agreed upon was the launch of a process to eliminate the visa requirement for Ecuadorian citizens entering Morocco. Starting in August, entry will be permitted using visas issued by third countries or by completing an online form 48 hours prior to travel. This step is expected to ease travel, boost tourism, and enhance trade exchange.
In the agricultural field, the two ministers agreed to leverage Morocco’s leadership in the fertilizer industry by launching joint ventures between private sectors in both countries to manufacture and distribute fertilizers. This cooperation falls within the framework of a memorandum of understanding signed in December 2024, through which Morocco granted Ecuador a donation of 4,000 tons of fertilizers, to be delivered in two batches in 2025 and 2026. The first batch arrived in April.
On the economic front, Quito expressed its desire to expand trade with Rabat through the upcoming signing of a memorandum of understanding to establish a Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO), tasked with facilitating investments and exploring joint cooperation opportunities. Morocco, for its part, expressed strong interest in importing premium Ecuadorian agricultural products, especially coffee and cocoa, while Ecuador aims to access the Moroccan market with its agricultural exports, particularly bananas.
Ecuador also seeks to make Morocco its gateway to Middle Eastern and African markets, leveraging the Kingdom’s strategic location and wide-ranging network of international agreements. In this context, both ministers stressed the importance of promoting direct communication between businesspeople, exporters, and importers, and of encouraging mutually beneficial investment opportunities.
The embassy’s opening and the signing of the agreements signal the beginning of a more dynamic and pragmatic phase in Morocco-Ecuador relations, based on shared interests and offering promising prospects for South-South cooperation across various strategic sectors.
