Iraq's National Security Advisor, Qassem Al-Aaraji, is currently visiting Morocco, where he held a meeting with Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita. The two officials previously met in January 2023 during a visit by the Moroccan Foreign Minister to Baghdad. In a statement to the press, Al-Aaraji reaffirmed Iraq's support for «Morocco's territorial integrity», emphasizing a «clear» stance on the Sahara issue. As a reminder, in 2022, during a meeting in Marrakech, Iraq's Foreign Minister similarly expressed his government's support for «Morocco's territorial integrity and the efforts of the United Nations to reach a definitive solution to the Sahara issue». Beyond the Sahara issue, discussions between Qassem Al-Aaraji and Nasser Bourita also focused on «strengthening cooperation between the two countries in the fight against terrorism», according to a statement released Tuesday by Iraq's Department of National Security. The two officials had previously addressed this topic during their meeting in Baghdad in January 2023. During his visit to Rabat, the Iraqi official also met with Morocco's Minister of Justice, Abdellatif Ouahbi, and visited the headquarters of the National Council for Human Rights (CNDH), the same source added. Qassem Al-Aaraji's visit comes amid a warming of relations between Morocco and Iran, a key player in Iraqi politics due to its influence over the country's significant Shiite community.
