Israeli alternate Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid arrives to attend the first weekly cabinet meeting of the new government in Jerusalem June 20, 2021. Emmanuel Dunand/Pool via REUTERS

Israel’s Foreign Minister Yair Lapid announced his official visit to Morocco in August as part of the renewal of full diplomatic relations between the two countries.

“This is a historic event,” Lapid said. “I want to thank the King of Morocco, His Majesty Mohammed VI, for the leadership he displayed in promoting the visit and the renewal of relations.”

Lapid will meet with his counterpart, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Morocco, Nasser Burita, following the launch of direct flights between Israel and Morocco, which are expected to begin in the coming weeks.

Lapid added that the visit will mark the starting point for tourism and trade agreements, and for comprehensive economic and political cooperation between the two countries.

“After my visit to Morocco, Burita will come to visit Israel to open a representative office here,” Lapid said.

Late last year, Israel and Morocco resumed their diplomatic ties as part of a normalization agreement brokered by the US with other Arab countries, including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Sudan.

Israel’s Foreign Minister Director-General Alon Ushpiz recently visited Morocco to hold political dialogue talks and discuss ways to advance the bilateral relations between the two countries. Last week, Israel signed its first cyber-defense accord with Morocco for operational cooperation, research and development and the sharing of information and knowledge.

The accord was signed in Rabat by Yigal Unna, Director-General of Israel National Cyber Directorate and his Moroccan counterpart General El Mostafa Rabii, as well as the Minister Delegate to the Head of Government in charge of national defense administration Abdellatif Loudiyi. The accord was achieved together with Israel’s Ministry of Defense.

Morocco was home to one of the largest and most prosperous Jewish communities in North Africa and the Middle East for centuries until Israel’s founding in 1948. As Jews fled or were expelled from many Arab countries, an estimated quarter of a million left Morocco for Israel from 1948-1964.