Joint Declaration between the Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates of the Kingdom of Morocco and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands

Diplomatic statement | 05-12-2025

1. On 5 December 2025 the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, H.E. Mr David van Weel, ​​welcomed the Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates of the Kingdom of Morocco, H.E. Mr Nasser Bourita, to The Hague for an official visit.

2. The two Ministers expressed their satisfaction with the long-standing and excellent relations between Morocco and the Netherlands, and reaffirmed their shared intention to continue strengthening bilateral cooperation based on deep friendship, mutual understanding, and reciprocal support for the strategic interests of both countries.

3. Both Ministers welcomed the positive momentum in the bilateral relationship across all areas, and decided to work towards elevating it to the level of a Strategic Partnership.

4. Both Ministers commended the regularity of the countries’ political dialogue and high-level visits, notably the visit to Morocco by Her Majesty Queen Máxima of the Netherlands in March 2023, in her capacity as United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development (UNSGSA), as well as the visit to Morocco by Prime Minister Mark Rutte in June 2023.

5. The Netherlands commended the ambitious reforms implemented under the leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, as well as the efforts made towards political, economic, and social development, notably through the New Development Model, the reform of the Family Code, and the Advanced Regionalization.

6. The two Ministers welcomed the implementation of the Roadmap decided upon in the Joint Declaration accepted by the Foreign Ministers of both countries in May 2022, as well as the Action Plan signed by the two Ministries of Foreign Affairs in July 2021, which will soon mark its fifth anniversary. The signatories consented to renew the Action Plan in 2026.

7. The two Ministers also welcomed the political consultations held in Rabat in February 2025 and in The Hague in January 2024. They reaffirmed their intention to deepen cooperation and continue dialogue in all areas of common interest, particularly in the economic, agricultural, security, migration, cultural, and scientific fields. Both Ministers welcomed the success of the bilateral dialogue on migration (GMMP) launched in 2022 and underscored the importance of further strengthening cooperation on migration, including matters relating to return. Both countries experience their cooperation on migration as very positive and collaborative. The meeting in the Netherlands in November 2025 during the International Border Management Conference underlined this. The Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to continuing on this path and to working together towards further enhancing the process and lead time of identification and the issuance of travel documents by capitalising on the GMMP, starting with its next meeting in January 2026.

8. The two Ministers decided to establish a bilateral Security Dialogue, with its first session to be held in The Hague in 2026, preferably in March, aimed at enhancing cooperation on security issues between the two countries such as counterterrorism and organised crime, building upon their existing bilateral dialogue on counterterrorism. The Ministers further decided to establish a bilateral special committee on counterterrorism.

9. The Netherlands commended Morocco’s continued efforts to promote stability and development in the Sahel region. Recognising the importance of regional cooperation in addressing common security challenges, the Netherlands reaffirmed its intention to strengthen dialogue and collaboration with Morocco in this area. Opportunities to enhance this partnership will be further explored during the upcoming bilateral Security Dialogue.

10. Both Ministers emphasised the importance of promoting triangular cooperation between Morocco, the Netherlands and their partners on the African continent.

11. The Netherlands welcomed the Atlantic Initiatives launched by His Majesty King Mohammed VI for the African continent, including the Atlantic African States Process initiative, the Royal Initiative to facilitate Sahel countries’ access to the Atlantic Ocean, and the African Atlantic Nigeria-Morocco Atlantic Gas Pipeline project.

12. The two Ministers welcomed the increase in trade between the two countries in recent years and decided to further strengthen their economic partnership in the fields of trade and investment, particularly in key sectors such as renewable energy, green hydrogen, water management, infrastructure, and agriculture.

13. The Netherlands congratulated Morocco on co-hosting the FIFA World Cup, along with Spain and Portugal, in 2030. The Netherlands, possessing outstanding expertise in relevant sectors, looks forward to collaborating with Morocco in the context of this major event.

14. Both Ministers highlighted the value of the long-standing cooperation between the Netherlands and Morocco in the framework of the Shiraka programme, which serves as a platform for sharing expertise and best practices among civil servants, and offers G2G training programmes in various fields, such as legislation, water management, and public finance management.

15. The Netherlands and Morocco decided to work jointly towards developing a Memorandum of Understanding concerning the authorisation of employment of family members of members of diplomatic missions and consular posts.

16. The two Ministers discussed their fruitful cultural cooperation through cultural projects, capacity building in the cultural sector, and museum exchanges, and expressed their ambition to further strengthen cultural collaboration between Morocco and the Netherlands. Both Ministers praised the important role played by the Moroccan community in the Netherlands and the Dutch community in Morocco as key drivers for the continued strengthening of bilateral cooperation.

17. The Netherlands and Morocco expressed their intention to strengthen their cooperation in the field of human rights, building on the successful bilateral visits by the President of Morocco’s National Human Rights Council, the Netherlands’ Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion and Belief, and the Netherlands’ Human Rights Ambassador, as well as the enhanced cooperation between Morocco and the Netherlands within the United Nations in the field of freedom of religion. Building on this cooperation, both sides intend to initiate an informal bilateral Dialogue on Human Rights in 2026.

18. The two Ministers underlined their active and constructive commitment to maintaining stability, security, peace, and respect for human rights within their respective countries. They reaffirmed their acceptance of these principles, as well as to the peaceful settlement of disputes, respect for territorial integrity and State sovereignty, the non-use of force in the settlement of conflicts, and respect for the right of self-determination of peoples, in accordance with international law. The two Ministers welcomed their consultations on issues of common interest within international organisations and forums.

19. Regarding the war in Ukraine, the two Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to the United Nations Charter and international law, as well as their support for the principle of state sovereignty and territorial integrity. They expressed concern about the tragic humanitarian consequences of the war and highlighted its negative effects on global food and energy security. They emphasised their support for ongoing diplomatic efforts to bring about a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace for Ukraine, in accordance with the United Nations Charter.

20. The Netherlands commended Morocco’s constructive role in the Middle East, and paid tribute to the personal commitment of His Majesty King Mohammed VI as Chairman of the Al-Quds Committee. The Netherlands and Morocco remain determined to work together towards a two-State solution, as reflected in their joint organisation of the 5th Meeting of the Global Alliance for the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, held in Rabat on 20 May 2025.

21. The two Ministers acknowledged the central importance of the historic and strategic partnership between the Kingdom of Morocco and the European Union, and consented to taking measures to preserve and strengthen this partnership in order to jointly address current global and regional challenges, particularly in the areas of security, stability, migration management, and socioeconomic and human development.

22. On the issue of Western Sahara, the Netherlands welcomes the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 2797 and reaffirms its support for the work of the UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy for Western Sahara, Mr Staffan de Mistura. In this context, the Netherlands affirms that genuine autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty is the most feasible solution. The Netherlands fully supports the efforts of the Secretary-General and his Personal Envoy to facilitate and conduct negotiations based on the autonomy plan proposed by Morocco in order to achieve a just, lasting, and mutually acceptable settlement. The two Ministers also discussed how to move this question forward. In that context, the Netherlands welcomed Morocco’s willingness to expand on its 2007 autonomy plan in the coming period and to provide details of what autonomy within the Moroccan State could entail for the region.