Morocco Halts US Lobbying Efforts as Biden Administration Takes Office

26 February 2021 – bySylvanus@Bladi · 1 min read

Nasser Bourita, Minister of Foreign Affairs and African Cooperation and Moroccans Residing Abroad, has terminated the lobbying contracts of public relations agencies led by the JPC Strategies firm, which were defending Morocco’s interests under the Trump administration. The kingdom has not, for the time being, appointed any other agency to influence the Biden administration.

The $75,000 per month contract between Morocco and the JPC Strategies firm has been canceled since January 17, 2021. As is its custom, the kingdom has terminated lobbying contracts with the advent of a new administration in the United States. This decision concerns public relations agencies under JPC Strategies such as FGH Holdings (formerly Glover Park Group) and Neal Creek, founded by Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican.

The recruitment of JPC Strategies dates back to January 2018. At the time, Morocco had disconnected the Democratic lobbyists after the advent of the Trump administration. Thanks to this firm, the kingdom had partly obtained the American recognition of the Moroccanness of the Sahara in exchange for the normalization of diplomatic relations with Israel. A recognition that continues to provoke strong reactions, as calls for its reversal continue to multiply.

Category: Morocco

Keywords:

United States Nasser Bourita