Turkey's Erdogan invites Morocco's King Mohammed VI to Ankara, seeks stronger cooperation

Turkey's president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has invited Morocco's King Mohammed VI to visit Ankara to strengthen ties between the two states, reported Anadolu agency.

On Monday, Fuat Oktay, Turkey’s Vice President, extended the invitation in a phone call with Aziz Akhannouch, Morocco's prime minister.

They also discussed bilateral cooperation in several fields, including defence and trade.

Moroccan-Turkish bilateral defence relations are growing rapidly, as Rabat boosted its military spending to account for more than 4% of its GDP.

The North African kingdom already acquired the services of the Turkish Bayraktar TB-2 drone and is negotiating the purchase of various equipment from Ankara, such as Ejder Yalçın armoured vehicles and T129 Atak attack helicopters.

Rabat also approved sending a military attaché to Ankara to coordinate defence cooperation between the two states. 

Meanwhile, the two countries signed a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in 2004, which came into force in 2006.

Local shops' concerns about the FTA's impacts on Moroccan productions have pushed Rabat to impose tariffs on Turkish imports in recent years.

Nevertheless, Ankara's exports to Rabat continue to surge thanks to the popularity of Turkish products within Moroccan markets.

Turkey's position on the Western Sahara dispute has strengthened the long-lasting ties between the two states since Rabat accepts no neutrality on the dispute.

In May, Mevlut Cavusoglu, Turkish Foreign Minister, reiterated Ankara’s support for Morocco’s territorial integrity during an official visit to Rabat

"I would like to reiterate Turkey's principled position in favour of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of countries, and reaffirm Turkey's support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of brotherly Morocco," said the Turkish FM.

A delegation of Moroccan ministers is also expected to visit Ankara in the upcoming months.