Foreign relations of Morocco
Country Formal Relations Began Notes
Armenia June 1992 Both countries established diplomatic relations on June 1992
China November 1958 See China-Morocco relations China and Morocco established diplomatic relations in November 1958
Iran See Iran-Morocco relations On March 6 , 2009 , Morocco severed diplomatic relations with Iran after comments made by an Iranian politician that Bahrain was historically part of Iran and as such still had a seat in the Iranian Parliament . Morocco described the comments as an attempt to alter the religious fundamentals of the kingdom , and accused Tehran of attempting to spread Shia Islam . Morocco is a majority Sunni country and Bahrain , despite having a large Shi'ite population , is ruled by a Sunni elite which has not allowed the Shi'ites into the power structure . Iran , a majority Shia country , reportedly has an interest in empowering the Shi'ites in Bahrain in order to raise its own status in the Persian Gulf , which has strained relations between Morocco and Iran . The episode was the latest in a series of events that have weakened relations between the two countries over recent years , particularly regarding the hard-line leadership in Iran , who have in the past called into question the legitimacy of Bahrain 's King . Morocco has cut relations with Iran once before in 1980 , after the Iranian Revolution
Malaysia 1963 See Malaysia-Morocco relations Morocco established relations with Malaysia right after Malaysia 's been formed in 1963 . Malaysia has an embassy in Rabat , and Morocco has an embassy in Kuala Lumpur
Pakistan See Morocco-Pakistan relations Pakistan has an embassy in Rabat while Morocco also has its embassy in Islamabad . Both the countries have co-operated significantly since the past and continue to widely expand their relations , in the past Pakistan has said that it does not recognise Western Sahara and that its status is disputed and remains to be decided by United Nations resolutions , but at the same time it gave the Moroccan point of view that it is an internal matter . Pakistan and Morocco enjoy friendly relationship based on deep religious and great human values commonly shared by both countries . These relations have grown to a large extent in recent years and thousands of Pakistanis visit Morocco annually
Philippines See Morocco-Philippines relations
Qatar 1972 See Morocco-Qatar relations Qatar and Morocco formed diplomatic relations in 1972
South Korea 6 July 1962 Establishment of Diplomatic Relations : July 6 , 1962
Turkey See Morocco-Turkey relations Morocco has an embassy in Ankara . Turkey has an embassy in Rabat . Both countries are full members of the Union for the Mediterranean . Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs about relations with Morocco
Bilateral relations -- Asia
Morocco 's stance is supporting the search for peace in the Middle East , encouraging Israeli–Palestinian negotiations and urging moderation on both sides . In 1986 , then King Hassan II took the daring step of inviting then-Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres for talks , becoming only the second MENA leader to host an Israeli leader . Following the September 1993 signing of the Israeli-Palestinian Declaration of Principles , Morocco accelerated its economic ties and political contacts with Israel . In September 1994 , Morocco and Israel announced the opening of bilateral liaison offices . These offices were closed in 2000 following sustained Israeli–Palestinian violence . Morocco maintains close relations with Saudi Arabia and the Persian Gulf states , which have provided Morocco with substantial amounts of financial assistance . Morocco was the first Arab state to condemn Iraq 's invasion of Kuwait and sent troops to help defend Saudi Arabia . Morocco also was among the first Arab and Islamic states to denounce the September 11 attacks in the United States and declare solidarity with the American people in the war against terrorism . It has contributed to United Nations peacekeeping efforts on the continent . In recognition of its support for the War on Terrorism , in June 2004 U.S. President George W. Bush designated Morocco as a major non-NATO ally .
Morocco is a member of the United Nations and belongs to the African Union, Arab League, Arab Maghreb Union (UMA), Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the Non-Aligned Movement and the Community of Sahel-Saharan States (CEN_SAD). Morocco's relationships vary greatly between African, Arab, and Western states. Morocco has had strong ties to the West in order to gain economic and political benefits. France and Spain remain the primary trade partners, as well as the primary creditors and foreign investors in Morocco. From the total foreign investments in Morocco, the European Union invests approximately 73.5%, whereas, the Arab world invests only 19.3%. Many countries from the Persian Gulf and Maghreb regions are getting more involved in large-scale development projects in Morocco. Foreign relations have had a significant impact on economic and social development in Morocco. Certain evidence of foreign influence is through the many development projects, loans, investments, and free trade agreements that Morocco has with other countries. Some free trade agreements include the Euro-Mediterranean free trade area agreement with the European Union; the Greater Arab Free Trade Area with Egypt, Jordan, and Tunisia; as well as the US-Morocco Free Trade Agreement with the United States. An example of recent foreign influence is through loan agreements. Morocco signed three loan agreements with the French Development Agency (AFD) in 2009, totalling up to 155 million euros. These were for the purpose of reforming the education system, rural roads and rehabilitation, as well as infrastructure projects.