Rabat - Following Dutch media reports suggesting that the government of the Netherlands plans to call off the 1972 Moroccan-Dutch agreement on social security, Morocco’s minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Salaheddine Mezouar called Friday his Dutch counterpart Frans Timmermansm and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Social Affairs and Employment Frans Lodewijk Asscher, to express Morocco's deep disappointment and total rejection of this decision.
Mezouar regretted that the Dutch government unilaterally made the decision without consulting with the Moroccan authorities and without prior notification through appropriate channels, a statement of the ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation said.
Moroccan chief diplomat also deplored that such a decision takes place at a time when bilateral relations are witnessing positive developments, the same source added .
The Kingdom of Morocco is surprised that the government of the Netherlands chose to rescind the agreement, while the long-standing and strong relations between the two kingdoms should have favored responsibility and dialogue instead of rupture.
This decision, rare in international relations and unprecedented in our bilateral relations, is perceived by Morocco as an unfriendly gesture, points out the statement.
Morocco which reiterated its determination to protect and defend the interests of Moroccan nationals living in the Netherlands to mobilize all means to this end, hoped that the Dutch government will reconsider this decision and engage in dialogue in order to reach a satisfactory solution for all parties.