NEW ERA IN PHILIPPINE-MOROCCO RELATIONS

After being closed for almost 30 years, the Philippine Embassy in Rabat reopened in 2020. Philippine ambassador to Morocco, Mr Leslie J. Baja, arrived in May 2021 and on 17 January 2022, presented his credentials to King Mohammed VI together with 38 other ambassadors.
In a ceremony steeped in tradition, Ambassador Baja was ushered to the King at the Throne room of the Royal Palace in Rabat. After presenting his letters of credence from President Rodrigo Duterte, Baja extended the President's best wishes and hope for a new era in Philippine-Morocco relations. Also present during the ceremony was Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita who earlier received Ambassador Baja in June 2021.

The Philippines established diplomatic relations with Morocco on 10 April 1975 and the Embassy is gearing up for the 50th anniversary in 2025. There are approximately 4,600 Filipinos in Morocco, mostly employed in the domestic, beauty and wellness and skilled sectors. In his first meeting with the Filipino community in June 2021, he paid tribute to the good image of Filipinos in Morocco, describing them as the "better ambassadors of the Philippines in Morocco."

A number of agreements are awaiting signature between the two countries in the areas of air services, cooperation between news agencies and diplomatic academies and political consultations. At least two ministerial visits are being planned which would convene the Joint Commission on Bilateral Cooperation. Despite the pandemic, trade between the two countries increased in 2020 totaling close to USD23 million, with the balance in favor of the Philippines.

Ambassador Baja is a veteran diplomat in the Philippine foreign service, having started in the Department of Foreign Affairs in 1986 as a casual employee. He has served as Ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein, Ambassador to Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Djibouti. At present, aside from Morocco, he is accredited as non-resident ambassador to Mauritania and is awaiting an opportunity to also present credentials in Guinea, Mali and Senegal. END