The new British ambassador to Morocco, Alex Penfield OBE, said that relations between Rabat and London have entered a “new phase” embodied in record-breaking trade, a significant recovery in tourism, and growing cooperation in infrastructure projects related to organizing upcoming football events.
In an exclusive interview with the English-language newspaper Hespress, Benfield revealed that the timing of his arrival in Morocco was “excellent,” adding: “I believe that we are indeed in a new era of our partnership. My mission here is clear: to contribute to building a modern and dynamic partnership between our two countries, both at the level of the two governments and between the Moroccan and British peoples.”
Regarding the British-Moroccan partnership, the spokesperson explained that his country considers Morocco a “strategic player” in its regional environment, as it offers an advanced experience in stability and in launching huge development projects, noting that the agreements signed during the last round of the strategic dialogue “open up promising prospects in energy, education, health and infrastructure.” He continued, explaining that his role as ambassador is to “get to know Morocco’s strategic priorities firsthand, understand the areas in which cooperation can be expanded, and then support British companies wishing to invest in the Kingdom.”
One hundred days after his appointment, the British diplomat revealed that he had traveled between many cities, from north to south, noting that he was amazed “by the pace of development and the scale of the projects being implemented,” whether in roads and stadiums or in the new urban neighborhoods that are witnessing rapid urban expansion. He added, explaining: “At every stop I met Moroccans who have a connection to Britain, and I also met Britons who visited Morocco for tourism and chose to stay there, and this reflects the attractiveness of the Kingdom and the strength of human relations between the two countries.”
On the economic side, the ambassador stressed that the opening of British financial institutions’ representative offices in Casablanca is “a clear message of investor confidence in the Moroccan market,” noting that the continuous increase in the volume of trade “reflects the interest of British economic actors.”
The British diplomat went on to say that his mission is to “encourage British companies to discover the available opportunities, and support them in entering the various sectors that Morocco is counting on within its development vision.”
Regarding the rise of extremism and hate speech in some parts of Europe and the Middle East, Alex Penfield stressed the need to “reject all forms of discrimination and targeting of groups,” highlighting the symbolism of organizing official Iftar banquets in the British Parliament and at Windsor Castle during Ramadan, as they embody the value of diversity within British society. He also emphasized that Morocco shares this vision with his country, which is based on cultural and religious pluralism.
In response to a question about immigration, the speaker provided an overview of the recent reforms in his country, stressing that they aim to make the system “more just and sustainable,” while continuing to issue visas for visitors, students and workers, and moving towards digitizing procedures to facilitate processes and speed up processing.
The ambassador recounts that many of the Britons he met before taking office had previously visited Marrakech or the cities of the Atlantic coast, adding that some of them “came for a few weeks and chose to settle for many years.” He concluded by saying: “The position of ambassador here is a great privilege for me. Morocco is a special country at a special stage. And for Britain, which is looking for partners with whom to build trade, investment, cultural and strategic cooperation, Morocco remains a strong and pivotal partner.”
