Fez - To tighten its grip on extremists who seek to join the ranks of the Islamic State (IS), the Moroccan government reportedly asked Turkey to require a visa for Moroccans wishing to visit or pass through Turkey, Moroccan newspaper Akhbar Al Youm said in its Thursday edition.
According to the same source, the Moroccan authorities aim to curb the flow of Moroccans joining IS, most of whom travel to Syria and Iraq through Turkish territory.
The fact that Moroccans don’t need a visa to enter Turkey makes it easier for some extremists to get through its borders and join the ranks of this terrorist organization.
The same source added that Turkey does not seem to be enthusiastic about the Moroccan request for political and economic reasons.
The political reason is related to Ankara’s reluctance to fully engage in the international coalition led by the United States to destroy IS.
The second reason is related to the importance of the Moroccan market for the Turkish tourism sector.
More than 100,000 Moroccans visit Turkey every year. This has a positive impact on the country’s economy, which relies heavily on tourism. If the Turkish government meets the request made by its Moroccan counterpart, the number of Moroccans tourists who visit Turkey is likely to plummet, which will have a negative impact on its economy.
A report published by CNN earlier this month said that over 1,500 Moroccans have joined the ranks of terrorist groups in Syria, including IS.
The same report ranked Morocco third in terms of countries that have sent the most jihadists to Syria. 1,500 Moroccan jihadists are fighting in Syria, followed by Russia (800 jihadists) and France (700 jihadists).