The North African Country has signed the Arab Space Cooperation Group’s basic charter at the UAE Space Agency in Abu Dhabi. The signing took place during an official visit to the United Arab Emirates. The meeting’s aim was to deepen collaboration and cooperation in the space industry. Dr Driss Al Haddani,  the Director-General of Morocco’s Royal Centre for Remote Space Sensing, led the working trip.

Ibrahim Al-Qasim, Space Science Advisor at the UAE Space Agency, welcomed the delegation. He subsequently praised the strong bilateral relations between the two countries and welcomed Morocco’s ratification of the charter. The visit was to develop new areas for cooperation in the space sector.

“We are pleased to see Morocco ratify the Arab Space Cooperation Group’s basic charter,” said Ibrahim Al-Qasim. This, according to him, is “because it will serve as a mechanism to accelerate joint endeavours and create a unified vision for the region”. Furthermore, he added that knowledge and expertise are extremely important. This, according to him, was what necessitated the Arab Space Cooperation Group.

According to Dr Driss Al-Hadani, “Morocco is proud to be a founding member of the Arab Space Cooperation Group. He added that the ratification of its basic charter was an important step forward in creating a unified regional vision. “Today’s ratification”, he continued, “is a further indication of the strong bilateral relations between our two countries in all fields, especially the new frontier of space.”

The Arab Space Cooperation Group

The Arab Space Cooperation Group is a regional space-focused entity established in 2019 and chaired by UAE’s Space Agency. The group is responsible for coordinating regional space efforts among the 14 member states. These member states include the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, Jordan, Algeria, Tunisia, Sudan, Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco, Iraq and Mauritania. Furthermore, the group’s goal is to encourage and coordinate regional cooperation in the space sector. This consequently includes harmonising regulations among space authorities, adopting a unified position at regional and international forums. Likewise, it includes guiding joint initiatives for comprehensive collaboration.

Member states adopted the Arab Space Cooperation Group’s basic charter during the sixth meeting of member states in November 2019. The charter aims to enhance knowledge exchange, technical expertise, experiences, and information. Likewise, it encourages scientific research and innovation to develop advanced space capabilities. Furthermore, the charter encourages members without space agencies or programmes to develop them and cooperate with regional and international organisations.