NEW YORK, USA — Somalia’s Foreign Minister Abdisalam Abdi Ali and his Moroccan counterpart, Nasser Bourita, held talks on the sidelines of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly, discussing stronger bilateral relations and closer coordination on regional and international issues.
Morocco’s Foreign Ministry said the ministers expressed satisfaction with the momentum in relations between the two countries and reaffirmed their intention to expand cooperation across several sectors. The discussions also highlighted the relationship between Moroccan King Mohammed VI and Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.
The meeting comes under a 2026–2028 cooperation roadmap signed in Rabat in November 2025, which provides a framework for expanding multisectoral cooperation between Somalia and Morocco. The two ministers said they wanted to build further on that framework.
Abdi Ali highlighted Somalia’s interest in strengthening education and skills development for young people and thanked Morocco for increasing its annual scholarship allocation to 120 places for Somali students at Moroccan universities and vocational training institutions.
The two foreign ministers also said their countries had converging positions on regional and international issues of mutual interest, providing a basis for greater diplomatic coordination through multilateral institutions.
The latest meeting builds on earlier Somali-Moroccan diplomatic engagement. In 2025, Abdi Ali and Bourita also held talks during the 80th UN General Assembly in New York, where they discussed expanding bilateral cooperation.
The two countries have also explored cooperation in areas including fisheries, livestock, agriculture, mining, education and scientific research. Somali officials have separately sought to draw on Morocco’s experience in multilateral diplomacy and its work at the United Nations.
The talks in New York form part of Somalia’s broader diplomatic engagement during the UN General Assembly, where its delegation is holding bilateral meetings with international partners on development, security and regional cooperation.
For Mogadishu and Rabat, the latest discussions signal an effort to translate their political ties into broader institutional, educational and economic cooperation while maintaining closer consultation on regional and international affairs.
