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Bilateral relations From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Morocco–Peru relations refers to the current and historical relations between Peru and Morocco. Both countries are members of the Non-Aligned Movement.
Although generally amicable, relations between both countries have been affected by the Western Sahara conflict, specifically the establishment of relations between Peru and the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic.[1][2]
Relations became official at the end of 1964 during the governments of Peruvian president Fernando Belaúnde and Hassan II of Morocco. Although it is only since 2004, with the visit of Mohammed VI to Peru, the first Arab, Muslim and African Head of State in the South American country, where Peruvian-Moroccan relations intensified.[3]
In 1999, and from 2012 to the present day, Peru has sent troops to the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara.[4]
In 2014, the Peruvian president Ollanta Humala, through a representative in Rabat, gave a speech on the relations both countries in front of the then prime minister Abdelilah Benkirane. The Moroccan government created a public space in Rabat called Peru Plaza.[5]
In 2019, the then President of the Congress of Peru, Daniel Salaverry, stated that "Peru has maintained diplomatic relations with Morocco for more than fifty years. Time during which these ties have been strengthened through delegations that have visited both countries" in front of the Moroccan ambassador Youssef Balla.[6]
On May 10, 2023, the embassy of Morocco in Lima held the first edition of the Lima Caftan Fashion Show, a charity event dedicated to improving the services of the National Institute of Child Health (NICH) in Breña.[7]
Peru maintained an embassy in Rabat, which closed from 1973 to 1986 due to the unavailability of a chargé d'affaires. During this time, the ambassador in Madrid was accredited to the country, and Peru established diplomatic relations with the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), which did not appear to disturb its relations with Morocco.[8][9]
After relations with the SADR were frozen in 1996,[10] Peru maintained an ambiguous position on the recognition of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, maintaining a de facto legitimization from the government of Alberto Fujimori (1990-2000) to the Moroccan occupation of Western Sahara, which is not unrecognized by the international community.[11] This position was seen again when in September 2017 the representative of the SADR, Khadijetou El Mokhtar, was prohibited from leaving Jorge Chávez International Airport. El Mohtar had to meet with the then president Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, which ultimately did not happen.[12]
On September 9, 2021, during the government of Pedro Castillo, Peru re-established diplomatic relations with the SADR,[13] which was criticised by the Congress of Peru.[14]
In 2022, the Peruvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that it suspended its relations with the SADR and that it instead "values the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Morocco," also mentioning that it would improve its relations with the country through commercial trade, including fertilizer.[15] This particular item was highlighted by some commentators, who noted that the Moroccan-controlled area of Western Sahara are home to the largest open-air phosphate mines in the world, with phosphate being fundamental in the manufacturing of fertilizers.[2] Despite this, relations were again re-established with the SADR in September of the same year.[16]
High-level visit from Morocco to Peru
The commercial exchange between Morocco and Peru in the mid-2010s reached US$ 24 million.[19] In 2015, the governments of both countries began talks for the creation of a free trade agreement.[20]
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