During his speech on Tuesday, July 29, before the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee for his confirmation as U.S. Ambassador to Morocco, Richard Duke Buchan III praised the leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI and expressed his firm commitment to putting his experience at the service of strengthening U.S.-Morocco relations.
“King Mohammed VI is a respected leader and a friend of the United States,” declared Richard Duke Buchan III, addressing the members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee during his confirmation hearing as U.S. Ambassador to Morocco. The former National Finance Chair of the Republican National Committee and former U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Spain and the Principality of Andorra added: “Morocco is a pillar of stability, and its strategic position is essential to U.S. national security.”
Richard Duke Buchan III is well acquainted with Morocco, having visited the country for over 40 years, as he reminded the senators. “It is a beautiful, fascinating, and strategic country. I know that our diplomatic team in Morocco—composed of Americans and Moroccans—is exceptional. If confirmed, I look forward to learning from them and leading them to further strengthen our bilateral relationship,” he said.
The diplomat also highlighted that Morocco has long been a key security partner, hosting AFRICOM’s largest joint military exercise, African Lion, and playing a reliable role in counterterrorism efforts, particularly in Africa. “If confirmed, I will work to enhance this historic security cooperation in the face of our shared challenges,” he promised.
Calling Morocco a “model economic partner,” Richard Duke Buchan III stated that he would leverage his experience in international business and finance to “expand opportunities for American companies throughout Morocco, where America can offer cutting-edge technologies to support Morocco’s ambitions in technology, transportation, agriculture, and energy.”
The designated ambassador also underscored the human ties linking the United States and Morocco, describing them as “historic, profound, and meaningful.” He further emphasized the historical depth of these bilateral relations, recalling that Morocco is one of the oldest partners of the United States. “Our treaty of peace and friendship dates back to 1786. For nearly 240 years, our bilateral relationship has strengthened the security, prosperity, and resilience of our two peoples.”
Aware of the importance of the Sahara for Morocco, Richard Duke Buchan III aligned himself with recent official statements by Senator Rubio, who on April 8 reiterated the U.S. recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over its Sahara and support for Morocco’s autonomy plan, calling it “serious, credible, and realistic,” and “the only possible basis for a just and lasting solution to the conflict.”
The ambassador embraced President Trump’s call to promptly engage in discussions based on this proposal to achieve a mutually acceptable solution: “If confirmed, I will strive to facilitate progress toward this goal.” Richard Duke Buchan III also pledged to work with Moroccan partners to strengthen and expand the Abraham Accords.
Brief bio Richard Duke Buchan III recently served as the National Finance Chair of the Republican National Committee. From 2017 to 2021, he was the U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Spain and the Principality of Andorra.
Buchan is also the CEO of Hunter Global Investors L.P., a company he founded in 2001 in New York, now headquartered in Palm Beach, Florida. He has traveled, lived, and/or conducted business in more than 50 countries, including Morocco, for over forty years. He is also actively involved in educational and philanthropic causes.
Before founding Hunter, Buchan was a Managing Director at Maverick Capital, Ltd. in Dallas (Texas) and New York, as well as Vice President in the Global Financial Institutions Group in Investment Banking at Merrill Lynch & Co. in New York.
Originally from North Carolina, Buchan grew up on his family’s farms, which he continues to manage in that state and in New York.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in economics and Spanish from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1985, followed by an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1991. He also studied at the University of Valencia (Spain), the University of Seville (Spain), and the CERAN language school in Spa (Belgium).
He is fluent in Spanish, conversant in French, and has working knowledge of Catalan, Italian, and German.
(Source: U.S. Senate)
