Turkey, Morocco back political solutions to problems

By Gozde Bayar

ANKARA (AA) – Turkey and Morocco support political solutions over military actions in problem solving, the visiting Turkish official said on Thursday.

"We believe in political solutions, and there is no military solution to any conflict in our region, in Syria, in Libya and elsewhere, including Yemen,” Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told a joint news conference alongside his Moroccan counterpart Nasser Bourita in the capital Rabat.

Cavusoglu reiterated Turkey’s support for territorial integrity, stability and security of Morocco, and dismissed any separatist group or agenda.

“Any issues should be of course solved peacefully. This is our common position,” Cavusoglu said.

The Turkish official arrived earlier in Rabat to take part in the events marking the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

- Bilateral relations

Addressing the bilateral relations, Cavusoglu said the two countries agreed to improve bilateral cooperation in many areas, highlighting economic cooperation.

“Bilateral trade volume has been increasing. We know that there is an imbalance [in bilateral trade] in favor of Turkey,” the visiting minister said, adding that officials from both sides are working to balance it.

“We will increase particularly Turkish investment in Morocco,” he said.

Bourita, for his part, said economic ties topped the agenda of the meeting with his Turkish counterpart.

“We discussed how to foster the partnership between Morocco and Turkey and how to remove some obstacles on trade matters,” he told the news conference held after the meeting.

The OIC was founded on Sept. 25, 1969 in Morocco in reaction to an arson attack on Jerusalem’s historic Al-Aqsa Mosque that August. It currently has 57 member countries and is headquartered in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.