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Rabat – The High Representative of the European Union Federica Mogherini has commended the signing of the fisheries and agriculture agreements between the EU and Morocco.
Mogherini is currently on a two-day visit to Morocco to discuss the agreements with senior Moroccan officials. Mogherini started her visit with a meeting co-chaired by Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Bourita.
During a press conference, Mogherini said that Morocco has been a“strategic partner of the EU for 50 years.”
Read Also: European Parliament Passes EU-Morocco Agriculture Agreement
She added that the two partners are aspiring to make a qualitative leap in their ties to build a regional partnership, particularly in the Mediterranean, the Arab world, and Africa.
The partnership aims to meet the expectations of citizens on both sides of the Mediterranean and to achieve the common objectives of both parties, according to the EU official.
Mogherini said that the new partnership will also bring Morocco and the EU closer because it forms a measure to continue Morocco’s reform of the 2011 Constitution.
The EU to support Moroccan security
“The EU is ready to support the kingdom, especially in terms of national security,” she was quoted by Maghreb Arab Press (MAP).
Mogherini noted the instructions of King Mohammed VI regarding including youth, employment, and vocational training.
She also spoke of Morocco’s efforts against irregular migration, saying that more discussions should be had to allow the EU to benefit from Morocco’s expertise and experience in these fields.
During the press conference, Bourita said that adopting the [agriculture] agreement further proves the importance of the partnership between the EU and Morocco. It also takes into account the “supreme interests of the kingdom.”
“Our partnership has demonstrated, during this period, its resilience to attacks, maneuvers and all the actions that [attempted] to torpedo it and create a crisis between Morocco and the EU,” Bourita added.
Bourita added that the agreement will reactivate all the mechanisms of cooperation and partnership that have been broken since 2016.
Bourita also spoke about Morocco’s key role in the Arab and African world, making the country an ideal partner for the EU.
“The adoption by the European Parliament of the agricultural agreement is a clear vote in favor of the strategic approach adopted by Morocco in partnership with the EU.”
Commenting on the EU Parliament vote on the agriculture agreement, Morocco’s Minister of Agriculture Aziz Akhannouch said: “This is a very positive vote that meets the expectations of Morocco,” in a statement to the press. He noted that the agreement will “allow populations in the southern provinces to export their products in the best conditions and to deal freely with the European Union.”
The EU-Morocco agreements, according to Akhannouch, create around 66,000 jobs in the southern provinces.
