European leaders: Morocco key partner for EU

Paris, Oct 11 (IANS/MAP) Morocco has all the assets to contribute effectively to the development and progress of the Euro-Mediterranean region, European leaders have said at a summit on terrorism and migration in France's Lyon city.

Moroccan Interior Minister Abdelouafi Laftit participated in the European G6 summit on terrorism and migration earlier this week, along with the Interior Ministers of six major EU countries -- France, Germany, the UK, Spain, Italy and Poland.

The US was the other non-EU country participating in the summit, the news agency reported on Wednesday.

"Morocco and the EU must not only continue to cooperate together but also work together to deal with the difficult situation that the entire Euro-Mediterranean region is facing in terms of immigration and security," said European Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship, Dimitris Avramopoulos.

The European leader said that Morocco made a substantial contribution to the development of the region.

Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said that the Kingdom was a "key, reliable and important partner" with which the EU, and Spain in particular, had fruitful relations whether in the field of the fight against terrorism or in the management of migratory flows.

Other leaders also praised Morocco for its fight against terrorism and management of migratory flows.

--IANS/MAP

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