Israel, Morocco agree to appoint ambassadors, expand air links

Israel and Morocco have agreed to upgrade their bilateral diplomatic relations, transforming the representative offices of the two countries into embassies and appointing ambassadors, Report informs referring to Israeli media.

The agreement was reached following a trilateral meeting in New York between Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar, his Moroccan counterpart Nasser Bourita, and US Permanent Representative to the UN Mike Waltz.

During the trilateral talks, representatives of Israel, Morocco, and the US confirmed their intention to take a number of concrete steps for the further development of Israeli-Moroccan relations. In particular, this involves upgrading the level of diplomatic relations: the representative offices of the two countries are planned to be transformed into embassies and ambassadors appointed.

Gideon Sa'ar and Nasser Bourita also agreed to complete the preparation of agreements on investment protection and the prevention of double taxation by the end of 2026. These agreements are expected to simplify mutual investments and promote the development of economic and business ties between the two countries.

Another topic of the meeting was the expansion of direct flights between Israel and Morocco. In particular, Moroccan airlines will join in operating flights. The first such flights are scheduled to launch in the coming weeks.

The parties also agreed on mutual visits by high-ranking representatives of Israel and Morocco in the coming months.

"The friendship between the Moroccan and Jewish peoples has deep roots and a rich history. The declaration signed today defines concrete steps for the development of relations between Israel and Morocco for the benefit of both nations. We intend to work consistently on its implementation," Gideon Sa'ar stated.

Israel and Morocco normalized relations under a US-brokered agreement in 2020. Subsequently, the countries exchanged liaison offices, stating their intention to eventually open full-fledged embassies.