Morocco, MERCOSUR poised to strengthen relations
Ways to strengthening trade relations between Morocco and the Economic Community of South American Countries/Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR) were at the center of talks visiting President of the MERCOSUR Parliament Rubén Anibal Basigalupe and his accompanying delegation held with Moroccan officials and MPs.
The purpose of the MERCOSUR parliamentary delegation’s visit to the Kingdom is to consolidate and strengthen relations between the two sides, and to get informed on the significant advances made by Morocco, particularly in terms of economic development, Basigalupe said during a meeting with Moroccan Industry and Trade Minister Ryad Mezzour.
The visit is also meant to upgrade and deepen Morocco’s diplomatic relations with the member countries of the regional economic grouping.
Basigalupe, who praised Morocco’s efforts in terms of economic performance, underlined Mercosur’s strong commitment to explore all partnership opportunities with the Kingdom, especially as the group aims to bolster its trade relations with MENA countries, given the potential of complementary interests.
The two parties also stressed the importance of organizing a business forum to bring their respective business communities closer together, as well as seeking complementarities between the two economies, particularly in the agri-food industry and renewable energies, in view of the challenges that these two sectors represent.
They welcomed the dynamic and quality of relations that Morocco and Mercosur have maintained to date, and which make it possible to look forward with optimism to their consolidation on an economic and industrial level.
During the meeting, Mezzour highlighted Morocco’s strengths as a production and export platform for a market of over a billion consumers, thanks to its free-trade agreements with the United States and the European Union (EU) in particular, which make it an international hub.
The Minister also emphasized that the common economic interests of both parties, as well as their economic potential, easily enable their cooperation to move from an essentially commercial relationship to a multi-sector partnership, notably in the industrial sector. He called in this connection for deploying triangular Mercosur-Morocco-Africa cooperation, and to take advantage of Morocco’s competitive advantages as a gateway to Africa, in the context of the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
The MERCOSUR parliament delegation, which is on a working visit to Morocco from June 9 to 14, also held talks with several MPs, including with chairwoman of the House of Representatives’ Foreign Affairs Committee.
After these talks that covered ways of developing parliamentary relations, coordinating international efforts and promoting democracy and human rights, Ruben Anibal Bacigalupe underlined in a statement to the media that Morocco’s strategic position offers South American countries access to various markets on the African continent and noted that Morocco’s qualitative development progress is a model to follow in several areas.
MERCOSUR parliament and the Moroccan Parliament signed in November 2022 a MoU providing for strengthening the ties of cooperation between the two parties and exploiting the opportunities offered in the African, Mediterranean and Latin American zones.
