Moroccan Ambassador to Visit Utah State University
His Excellency Aziz Mekouar, ambassador of the Kingdom of Morocco, will visit Utah State University June 2.
“The purpose of the visit is to showcase USU as a jewel in the American West that offers partnership opportunities in agriculture, ag business, software, technology, and research,” said Noelle Cockett, dean of the College of Agriculture at Utah State. “Utah State University is an ideal resource for international collaboration and provides a broad spectrum of expertise.”
Events with Ambassador Mekouar include faculty meetings to discuss dry country agricultural options, a lunch hosted by USU President Stan Albrecht with USU administrators and dignitaries, and tours of both the Utah Water Research Laboratory and Space Dynamics Laboratory. USU’s Technology Commercialization Office will meet with Ambassador Mekouar to discuss commercialization endeavors at USU, including licensing opportunities and patents. Events are scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m. and will continue until 4:30 p.m.
The State of Utah has recently signed agreements with the Department of Defense, the Utah National Guard and the governments of Belarus and Morocco. Representatives from the Utah National Guard have already visited Morocco.
Mekouar became the Moroccan ambassador to the United States in 2002. He holds a baccalaureate degree from the French Lycée Charles Lepierre in Lisbon, Portugal, and graduated from the HEC Graduate Business School in France in 1974.
During his tenure as ambassador in Washington, Mekouar has overseen the negotiation and signing of a Free Trade Agreement between Morocco and the United States, and has worked to foster understanding between the American and the Moroccan peoples.
Before his current assignment, Mekouar served as Moroccan ambassador to Italy, Malta and Albania, and permanent representative to the Food and Agriculture Organization in Portugal and Angola.
USU President Stan Albrecht noted that USU has already been actively engaged in joint programs with Morocco for the past 40 years, involving the Colleges of Agriculture; Engineering; Humanities, Arts & Social Sciences; Natural Resources and Science.
“We are delighted to host His Excellency Aziz Mekouar at Utah State University,” Albrecht said. “We believe collaborations such as these have an important role as our university builds upon an established interest in global outreach.”