Articles of the Moroccan-Dutch agreement … on the fight against immigration and non-interference in internal affairs

The Dutch government has finally made public, through its Foreign Minister Wöbke Bastian Hoekstra, a document on the agreement concluded with Morocco in July 2021, after the return of warmth to bilateral relations between the two countries, which includes a number of points establishing long-term cooperation. .

The document caused great controversy in the Dutch Parliament as Katy Perry, a Dutch Labor MP, asked the Minister to disclose what was agreed with Morocco, but Hoekstra insisted on refusal, noting that “that we have diplomatically agreed that we are not we will throw such documents into the street,” as he put it.

In this context, the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf reported that the minister eventually succumbed to great political pressure, which prompted him to consult with Morocco on the content of the agreement, noting that this was done after the approval of Rabat.

In a bilateral “action plan”, the Dutch government committed to cooperate with Morocco in all areas and intensively, including “improving cooperation and coordination in the field of migration”.

As part of this agreement, the two countries also pledged not to interfere in the internal affairs of the two countries, as the newspaper called this clause “attractive”, recalling criticisms made by the former Dutch foreign minister Steve Block against Morocco. over the trial of the demonstrators.

The document, written in French, stipulates that financial support for charitable organizations and other non-governmental organizations should be subject to prior consultations between the two countries.

In order to promote the rapprochement of the Moroccan communities in the Netherlands and the Dutch in Morocco, the two countries decided to work towards a “joint organization of economic, artistic and cultural activities”.

The Moroccan-Dutch Action Plan also includes support for the Dar al-Maghrib Moroccan Cultural Center in Amsterdam, which the signatories say could be an “inspiring catalyst” for this collaboration.

De Telegraaf said the Netherlands wants to strengthen relations with Morocco, hoping that the latter will take on its territory more refugees who have been denied asylum.

The same newspaper reported a few days ago that Morocco had issued eleven temporary travel documents for deported Moroccans between August and October last year, deporting three people.

Notably, last May, the Kingdom of the Netherlands considered the autonomy initiative presented by Morocco in 2007 “a serious and credible contribution to the United Nations-sponsored political process to find a solution to the Sahara problem.”