Morocco and the United Kingdom strengthen their partnership in more sectors
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Morocco and the United Kingdom strengthen their partnership in more sectors
Atalayar | 19th February 2023
By Marina Blinda
Morocco and the United Kingdom held the second session of their Association Council. "Since the signing of the partnership agreement, we have noted the existence of complementarities between the Moroccan and British platforms in several sectors, particularly in industry, trade and services. We are also looking for ways to strengthen relations in the aviation, energy and automotive sectors, Moroccan Minister of Industry and Trade Ryad Mezzour stressed to the media after the meeting.
Morocco and the UK continue to strengthen their bilateral relations, the two partners want to increase their economic exchanges. It should be noted that the United Kingdom supports Morocco’s efforts in Western Sahara.
During the second session of its Association Council in Rabat, the capital of the Kingdom of Morocco, Ryad Mezzour welcomed the strengthening of trade between the two countries and recalls that Moroccan exports to the UK have increased by 50%.
Mezzour had a meeting with Ranil Jayawardena, British Minister for International Trade, and discussed trade and good investments of the two countries, therefore, cooperation will be a mutual benefit for the UK and Morocco. Three sectors were highlighted in trade cooperation: aeronautics, automotive and energy. The Moroccan Minister of Industry and Trade emphasised that the agreement has reached a level of maturity that allows it to face challenges and develop a stronger economic partnership.
"The two sides have had a technical dialogue during the follow-up meeting to discuss ways to increase investment and we hope to move towards a comprehensive economic partnership," a government official said. He highlighted "the strong trade relations that already exist between the two countries in the fields of agriculture, tourism, automotive, aeronautics, as well as textiles and financial services".
In addition, it was confirmed that Morocco has a good trade with the UK, where the main products exported are refined oil, gas, automobiles and aircraft parts.
The British ambassador in Rabat, Simon Martin, highlighted the renewable energy sector: "Morocco is a leader in renewable energy, there are more and more investment opportunities in this sector. There is a proposal, and we are keeping our fingers crossed that it will be successful, which is to generate electricity from renewable energy in Morocco and export it to the UK.
UK Secretary of State for Business, Nigel Huddleston, welcomed the progress made since the Association Agreement came into force and stressed that the second meeting is specifically focused on implementing trade guidelines and reaching a final agreement on rules at the customs level. "Since the group’s committee meetings last July, we have made some progress. A meeting that committed to deepening the relationship and looking at ways to increase bilateral trade and investment," added a senior British official. Reflecting on what has been achieved since the association agreement came into force, Huddleston welcomed the opening of seven British schools, noted that British universities would also soon open in Morocco and stressed that UK companies are interested in a variety of sectors, particularly the pharmaceutical, agriculture, aeronautics, energy and health and plant health industries.
