German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said Friday that Morocco and Germany have agreed plans for closer cooperation on migration policy. “We want to attract well-trained people and improve cooperation on repatriations,” Baerbock said after his meeting with his Moroccan counterpart, Nasser Bourita.
The governments of Germany and Morocco are seeking to “explore together how to mutually strengthen our societies,” the German minister said, quoted by AFP.
Germany, faced with a shortage of 400,000 skilled workers per year, intends to “make greater use of legal immigration opportunities”. On the other hand, “people without the right of residence cannot stay,” noted the minister.
Migration was at the center of the meeting between Baerbock and Bourita, who insisted that the dialogue should not be about “putting pressure” on transit countries like Morocco, but should adopt a “holistic approach” focused on cooperation. Bourita also noted that “illegal migration” concerns only 0.06% of the world’s population.
In January 2024, Germany signed a migration agreement with Morocco for the repatriation of migrants and the recruitment of Moroccan skilled workers.
It should be noted that Morocco and Germany began a new chapter in their relations in February 2022, after a diplomatic chill. Berlin supported Morocco’s autonomy plan for the Sahara during the same year.
