Morocco deepens Caribbean ties with consulate in St Vincent

Morocco will soon open a consulate in St Vincent and the Grenadines marking a significant expansion of the North African nation’s diplomatic footprint in the Caribbean region.

The information was recently disclosed by Prime Minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines Ralph Gonsalves, upon his return from a diplomatic trip to Rabat, Morocco.

Morocco's commitment to the Caribbean

According to Prime Minister Gonsalves, the Moroccan officials are scheduled to arrive in October to initiate the establishment process.

In a discussion with the state-run Agency For Public Information (API), he said, “Morocco will set up a consulate in St Vincent and the Grenadines. In fact, they are supposed to be coming in October to begin the process of getting premises and shortly thereafter to put things in place.”

“They have a mission in St Lucia but they are going to split, they're gonna evolve the one in St Vincent, hopefully into a full-fledged embassy and to split the jurisdiction. I think they recognized the importance of the leadership in St Vincent and the Grenadines,” he further said.

Emphasizing the longstanding relationship between Morocco and the Caribbean, Gonsalves noted that the North African country has been proactively engaged with the region for over 20 years, and this new consulate reaffirms their commitment.

St Vincent and the Grenadines' ties with African and Arab nations

He views this as a positive development for his nation, aligning with St Vincent and the Grenadines’ objectives to fortify connections with both African and Arab countries.

Reflecting on his trip to Morocco, Prime Minister Gonsalves lauded it as one of his most successful, citing the deepening of the bilateral relationship between the two nations.

In particular, he highlighted his success in securing greater collaboration in areas such as agriculture, fertilizer development, tourism training, and the provision of additional scholarships for Vincentian students to attend Morocco's top tertiary institutions.