Israel-Morocco Diplomatic Ties Progress Gradually, Says Israeli Envoy

"We are in the middle of the discussions, and we need to continue them. We have to take into account that for more than twenty years, the two countries did not have official diplomatic relations. Relations have been restored for four months, and the advancement will be gradual. Cooperation, whether in water, agriculture or renewable energies, needs time. Everything cannot be achieved overnight. We are working on different areas, and I am convinced that we will achieve the common objectives," he said in an interview with TelQuel.

David Govrin does not rule out the possibility of the liaison office being transformed into an embassy. "The agreement between Morocco and Israel contains a paragraph stating that the ultimate goal is full diplomatic relations between the two countries. For this reason, I am optimistic and sure that the liaison offices will be transformed into embassies in the near future," he said, noting that he has already met with several Moroccan officials, including the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nasser Bourita, the Minister of National Education, Saaid Amzazi, and the Director General of the Moroccan Agency for International Cooperation, Mohamed Methqal.

Regarding the visit of Moroccan government members to Israel or the Israeli government to Morocco, he said that it had been planned for an Israeli delegation to visit Morocco ten days ago to discuss the resumption of flights between the two countries, but due to pandemic-related restrictions, the visit was postponed. "We also plan for a Moroccan delegation to visit Israel to discuss issues related to bilateral relations," he added.

Regarding direct flights between the countries, David Govrin said they were scheduled to start in early April, but due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the flights have been delayed. "The flights should start in May or June next. We have to understand that the international context poses a challenge for us, but we will overcome it," he said, recalling that three Israeli companies have requested approval from the Moroccan authorities, in addition to Royal Air Maroc (RAM) which has requested approval from the Israeli authorities. "So there are four companies that will operate flights on this route, which shows that they expect an increase in the number of tourists."