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Rabat – Portuguese Minister of Foreign Affairs Augusto Santos Silva met with his Moroccan counterpart Nasser Bourita on Wednesday to discuss bilateral relations between Rabat and Lisbon.
The meeting served as an opportunity to talk about means to further boost diplomatic and economic relations between the two counties.
Portugal also took the opportunity to affirm its steadfast position on Western Sahara, reiterating that Morocco’s Autonomy Plan initiative remains a “ very credible, serious” solution to end the conflict.
“The Portuguese position vis-a-vis this regional despite is known. We hope that the process continuing under the auspices of the United Nations will proceed with the prospect of obtaining concrete results, in accordance with the recommendations and resolutions of the Security Council,” said the Portuguese FM.
In addition to Western Sahara, the FM also extolled Morocco’s peacekeeping efforts to maintain stability across the Mediterranean, the Maghreb, and Africa.
For Portugal, Morocco’s role is strategic, not only for Lisbon but also for the European Union, Silva said.
Bourita, meanwhile, expressed his satisfaction with Moroccan-Portuguese relations, saying they have witnessed ”good development” in recent years, particularly in economic terms.
“Morocco is Portugal’s second trading partner in Africa and the first in the Maghreb,” said Bourita.
The North African kingdom is determined to consolidate the positive Portugal-Morocco dynamics with the establishment of bilateral economic mechanisms, and by scheduling regular meetings and working visits to further strengthen commercial exchanges between the two countries.
