The Swiss Confederation, in the person of its Secretary of State for Migration, Christine Schraner Burgener, commended Morocco’s tireless efforts at the regional level to face the challenges of migration.
On the sidelines of the first meeting of the Moroccan-Swiss Permanent Joint Migration Group (GMMP), which took place on September 5 in Rabat, Brugener stressed that the Kingdom occupies “a key position between sub-Saharan Africa and Europe which results in increasing migratory flows.”
The Swiss official praised the close cooperation between Morocco and Switzerland in migration, noting that the two countries “face similar challenges” in this area.
“Morocco and Switzerland, which share similar challenges in the field of migration, are facing growing flows and working to further strengthen their close cooperation,” explained Brugener.
Brugener pointed out that migration cooperation between the two countries is developing “very well,” stating that the quality of bilateral relations between Morocco and Switzerland, which have existed for over 100 years, “facilitate our cooperation in the field of migration.”
In the joint declaration adopted by Morocco and Switzerland on December 3, 2021, in Berne, the two parties expressed their commitment to strengthening cooperation in the field of migration, in a spirit of partnership at the bilateral, regional, and multilateral levels.
During the first meeting of the Moroccan-Swiss Permanent Joint Migration Group (GMMP), co-chaired by Wali Director of Migration and Border Surveillance, Khalid Zerouali, and Burgener, both parties commended the establishment of this framework for dialogue and coordination, which will elevate and strengthen bilateral migration partnership in its multiple sectoral dimensions.
The two parties also agreed to explore and reinforce all available opportunities to boost mobility between the two countries within a disciplined and orderly framework, stating that they will strengthen their operational cooperation through the exchange of information, expertise, cross-training, and technical support.
During the discussions, the two parties have created two Ad-hoc sub-committees, which will meet in the short term, to draft and implement a roadmap with concrete actions in all areas of migration, from operational issues inherent in irregular migration to those of regular mobility.
