US Under Secretary Christopher Landau's visit to Rabat elevates Morocco-US cooperation
via Le Matin9 min read
US Under Secretary of State Christopher Landau visited Rabat from April 27 to May 1, marking his first Maghreb tour. The visit focused on advancing technological and spatial coordination and strengthening a long-standing security cooperation between Morocco and the United States. This visit occurred just before the UN Secretary-General's strategic review of MINURSO, as mandated by Resolution 2797 of October 2025. Calvin Dark, president of RC Communications and geopolitical analyst, highlighted that the visit underscores shared strategic priorities between Rabat and Washington, including security, technology, and space, and suggests that a resolution to the Sahara conflict would open new avenues for cooperation. The Moroccan leg of Landau's visit centered on three key areas: extending industrial defense cooperation with advanced discussions on technology transfers, potentially associating Morocco with the Artemis Accords for space resource exploitation, and establishing a bilateral framework for cybersecurity and artificial intelligence. This technological focus positions Morocco as an integration partner for Washington. Dark noted that this deepening partnership results from bipartisan leadership in Washington, the strategic vision of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, and sustained Moroccan diplomatic efforts. In the US Congress, the "Polisario Front Terrorist Designation Act" has been introduced in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, aiming to classify the Polisari
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Must ReadThe Atlas Lions will begin their 2026 World Cup campaign on Saturday with a highly anticipated match against Brazil at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Coached by Mohamed Ouahbi, the team aims to demonstrate that their historic performance in the 2022 World Cup was not an isolated achievement.
A high-level meeting held in Rabat on June 11, on the International Day of Family Remittances, focused on transforming remittances from Moroccans living abroad into economic development tools, particularly for rural areas. Remittances to Morocco reached over 122 billion dirhams in 2025, nearly 8% of the national GDP, demonstrating remarkable resilience amidst global economic and climatic uncertainties. Alvaro Lario, President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development IFAD, emphasized shifting the perception of remittances from mere lifelines to pathways for savings, investment, entrepreneurship, and prosperity, especially in rural zones. Abderrahim Bouazza, Director General of Bank Al-Maghrib, highlighted the vulnerabilities of rural areas due to climate change, natural resource pressures, food security imperatives, and economic fragilities. He stressed the need to strengthen connections between remittances and formal financial tools like savings, credit, insurance, and digital financial services to channel these funds into productive capital. Redouane Arrach, Secretary General of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, noted that remittances contribute to social cohesion and rural development, with their value comparable to Morocco's annual agricultural added value. Charles Th茅paut, Minister Counselor and Deputy Head of Mission at the French Embassy in Morocco, underscored the human and economic depth of these transfers, with France being the primary
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