FM participated in second meeting of NATO's Mediterranean Dialogue

Brussels, Moroccan Foreign Minister, Taieb Fassi Fihri, took part, here on Friday, in the second meeting of NATO's (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) Mediterranean Dialogue,The meeting was an opportunity to review the progress achieved within the framework of the Mediterranean dialogue since the first meeting in 2004. Participants in this meeting discussed ways to promote relations between the NATO and its partners and to achieve a better balance between the political and practical dimensions of their cooperation. The meeting also tackled the fight against terrorism as part of the operation "Active Endeavor," a naval mission that contributes to detecting, deterring and protecting against terrorist activity and other transnational threats in the Mediterranean region. On Wednesday, top officials of the NATO voiced their satisfaction at the level of cooperation between Morocco and the Alliance. NATO Deputy Secretary General, Claudio Bisogniero, lauded the "active and tangible cooperation" of the North African country with the NATO, as part of the Stabilization Force in the Balkan. For his part, UK permanent representative to NATO Council, Stewart Eldon, underlined that the NATO is "extremely grateful to Morocco for its contribution" to the forces of the Alliance deployed in Kosovo. NATO Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy, Jean-François Bureau, said that discussions are going on between Morocco and NATO to develop Individual Cooperation Programs, as part of the Mediterranean Dialogue. NATO’s Mediterranean Dialogue was initiated in 1994 by the North Atlantic Council. It currently involves seven non-NATO countries of the Mediterranean region: Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia. It is based on the Alliance’s view that security in Europe is closely linked to security and stability in the Mediterranean. The Dialogue's ultimate aim is threefold, namely to contribute to regional security and stability, to achieve a better mutual understanding and to correct any misperceptions about NATO among Mediterranean Dialogue countries.