India and Morocco have signed a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) and a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to promote judicial and legal cooperation.

Key Features of the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT)

• Objective: To promote fruitful cooperation in judicial and legal spheres through mutual legal assistance in civil and commercial matters.
• Scope of Assistance:
• • Service of Summons: Assistance in serving judicial documents and legal processes.
  • Evidence Collection: Taking of evidence by means of Letters of Request.
  • The execution of judicial judgments (in the case of the Kingdom of Morocco), decrees (in the case of the Republic of India), settlements, and arbitral awards.
• As per Allocation of Business Rules of the Government of India, Ministry of Home Affairs is the nodal Ministry and the Central authority for seeking and providing mutual legal assistance in criminal law matters.

Key Features of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)

• Exchange of Expertise: Sharing experiences on the functioning of judicial systems and ministries.
• Legislation Sharing: Mutual exchange of legal publications, bulletins, and legislative materials.
• Capacity Building: Joint organisation of symposiums, conferences, and legal training programs.
• Training and Delegation Exchange: Facilitating visits, legal training, and expert participation in each other’s programs.
• Judicial Information Systems: Cooperation in development and sharing of national legal information systems and technological advancements.
• Implementation Mechanism: Formation of a joint coordination committee responsible for planning annual cooperation programs that are practical and within the financial capabilities of both parties.

About Morocco

• Location: Situated in the Maghreb region of North Africa, Morocco lies in both the Northern and Western Hemispheres.
• Borders: It shares land borders with Western Sahara to the south and Algeria to the east, and has coastlines along both the Atlantic Ocean (west) and the Mediterranean Sea (north) making it the only African nation with access to both seas.
• Cities: Casablanca, the largest city and a major Atlantic port, is the country’s industrial and commercial hub.
• Spanish Enclaves: Ceuta and Melilla, two Spanish territories, are located on Morocco’s northern Mediterranean coast.
• Capital City: Rabat
• Climate:
  • Coastal areas: Mediterranean climate with mild, wet winters and hot, dry summers.
  • Interior and south: Arid to semi-arid, with desert conditions in the Sahara fringe.
• Geographical features:
  • Mountains: The Atlas Mountains dominate the terrain. Jebel Toubkal (4,167 m) is both the highest peak in Morocco and the Atlas range.
  • River: The Moulouya River, originating in the Atlas Mountains and flowing into the Mediterranean, is one of the country’s main water sources.
  • Desert: Southern Morocco forms part of the Sahara Desert. 

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