Rabat – Another US delegation arrived in Morocco to discuss ways to boost diplomatic and economic collaboration between Rabat and Washington.

Democratic party congresswoman Karen Bass led the US delegation of American representatives to Morocco.

Bass told the press on Tuesday, October 9, after a meeting with Morocco’s Foreign Affairs Minister Nasser Bourita that the US officials are “very impressed by the noteworthy progress made in Morocco in recent years, particularly in terms of development.”

The delegation’s meeting with the Moroccan official touched on “ways to strengthen cooperation between Rabat and Washington in a number of areas,” she said.

She also emphasized the need to make “more efforts to explore and open new horizons for bilateral relations.”

Bass recalled the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Morocco and the UN.

Morocco and the US signed the FTA on June 15, 2004. The agreement has been effective since January 1, 2006.

The official said that the US and Morocco have to use the “many benefits offered by this agreement.

She recalled that Morocco is the “only African country linked to the USA by a free trade agreement.”

Through the agreement, the volume between Morocco and the US more than quadrupled during the 2006-2018 period. The trade reached $5.44 billion in 2018, compared to $1.34 billion.

Exports also increased more than fivefold to $1.38 billion in 2018 from just $0.26 billion in 2006, Maghreb Arab Press (MAP) reported in July.

The visit of the US representatives come less than two weeks after a delegation from the Banking Committee at the US Senate visited Morocco on September 30.

Senator Richard Shelby, chairman of the Banking Committee at the US Senate, led the delegation.

Shelby expressed his committee’s determination to boost partnership with Morocco.