Morocco, France Add Substance to Ever-stronger Relationship
On the occasion of the two-day visit of the French Prime Minister, Edouard Philipe to Rabat, 22 cooperation agreements were signed between the two countries in fields relating to regionalization, industry, new technologies, renewable energies, culture and transport.
The agreements were signed at the end of the 13th Moroccan-French High-level meeting, co-chaired by Edouard Philipe and Head of the Moroccan government Saad Eddine El Othmani.
On Wednesday, the salient theme of bilateral cooperation was transport. Five agreements were signed providing for financing for Morocco’s structural projects. Under these agreements, the French Development Agency (AFD) committed a €40 million loan and a €400,000 grant to fund the second line of the Rabat-Salé Tramway.
Another agreement was signed by “Casa Transports Maroc” Company and the AFD, under which €500,000 will be granted to fund the Casablanca Tramway extension line 2.
A partnership agreement was also signed by the “Direction des routes du Royaume du Maroc” and the Centre on risk, environment, mobility and development studies and expertize (CERAMA) to provide adequate responses to technical issues pertaining to development projects, in terms of road pavement, infrastructure, civil engineering and technical software programs.
On Thursday, the two countries signed declarations of intent on digital cooperation, administration reform, sea industry, ports and infrastructure in general as well as sports, museums, youth, education and culture.
A framework agreement on developing the Moroccan digital university platform (MOOCS) was also sealed, along with a declaration of intent on promoting the French-Moroccan university co-location abroad.
The French-Moroccan cooperation also set the target of making of Rabat a cultural destination in the continent with the signing of a declaration of intent on cinema cooperation with the aim of setting up a cinema co-production fund, and a letter of intent on exhibiting in 2018 in the Rabat Mohammed VI Museum Beaubourg’s Mediterranean artworks.
On the same occasion, a draft agreement was inked between the Moroccan Agency for sustainable Energy (MASEN) and the AFD in addition to a draft agreement between the state investment arm (CDG) and AFD to support mainly energy and ecology transitions, extensive regionalization and social inclusion, and a letter of intent concerning AFD’s support for promoting access to drinking water for populations north of the Kingdom.
