The US Embassy in Morocco announced that diplomat Amy Cutrona has assumed the position of Acting US Ambassador in Rabat, following the completion of Ambassador Puneet Talwar’s mission and his preparations to leave the kingdom for the United States. The announcement stated that Cutrona officially began her duties on Sunday, January 19.
Cutrona returns to this position once again, having previously served in this capacity before the appointment of Puneet Talwar by the Biden Administration. She will continue in this role until the new US administration, under Trump’s leadership, announces a new ambassador to Rabat.
According to the official website of the US Embassy in Morocco, Cutrona has held numerous diplomatic positions before arriving in Morocco. She served in Washington, D.C., as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the Levant Affairs and previously as Director of the Levant Affairs Office at the State Department. She was also Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy in Bahrain from 2016 to 2019.
The same source added that Cutrona began her diplomatic career in 1999, initially serving in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, followed by postings in El Salvador, Qatar, and Egypt, as well as various assignments in Washington, D.C. She holds a degree from Smith College and a Master’s degree in International Relations and Conflict Management from the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University.
The US Embassy stated on its official website that Rabat and Washington share a long-standing and rich partnership rooted in historical ties dating back to 1777. Today, cooperation between the two countries spans a wide range of issues of mutual interest, including regional security, shared economic prosperity, and joint efforts to address development challenges.
The Embassy also noted that Morocco is a key ally of the United States outside NATO and the only African country with a free trade agreement with the US. Both countries invest in strong exchange programs to share expertise in fields such as education, economic development, governance, and culture.
The United States values Morocco’s growing role as a key partner in regional stability, global trade, and as a platform for industrial and technological innovation.
It is expected that appointing a new ambassador to Morocco may face some delays, a situation that is not unprecedented. For instance, the appointment of David Fischer as ambassador during Trump’s first term was delayed for over two years. After Dwight Bush left his post in early 2017, Fischer was only appointed in late 2019 and arrived in Morocco at the beginning of 2020.
According to several analysts of Moroccan-American relations, this delay in appointing a US ambassador to Rabat is not considered a negative indicator for bilateral relations. Historically, the process of appointing US ambassadors to Morocco has taken longer, similar to other countries with strong ties to Washington.
Analysts attribute this delay to the US administration’s desire to select the most suitable person for the ambassadorial position in Rabat, given the strong relations between the two countries. The US Embassy in Rabat regards Morocco as its “oldest strategic ally.”
