Signed by the Director of the Moroccan Archives, Jamaâ Baida, and the Director General and Keeper of the British National Archives, Jeff James, the MoU aims to bolster collaboration between the two institutions, particularly in terms of exchanging documents and sharing experience and expertise.
Speaking on the occasion, the Moroccan official noted that the signing of this MoU consolidates the long history between the United Kingdom and Morocco, which dates back to the 13th century and has led to the creation of several archives that bear witness to the richness of this partnership.
The British national archives have a wealth of experience in organizing and managing archives, which will benefit the Moroccan institution, he said, adding that the MoU also covers the exchange of archives, particularly those that have already been digitalized.
These documents could thus be made available to researchers and academics to boost research into the extremely rich Moroccan-British relations, Baida explained.
For his part, Morocco’s ambassador to the United Kingdom, Hakim Hajoui, said that this partnership reflects the depth of the relationship between the two kingdoms, as it sheds light on centuries of cooperation in many fields between two of the oldest monarchies in the world.
Access to this common history offers the opportunity to understand better the past, which will help to shape an even better future, the diplomat said.
To mark the conclusion of this partnership, documents about Morocco were displayed at the British National Archives, including a peace and trade treaty dating back over three centuries and exchanges of letters between the Sovereigns of the two countries dating back to the 16th century.
