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Rabat – Morocco and the UK are keen on boosting their cooperation in the field of energy, said Moroccan Minister of Energy, Mining, and Environment Aziz Rabbah during a video conference meeting with British Minister of Investment Gerry Grimstone.
The meeting took place on Tuesday, April 28, in the presence of British Ambassador to Morocco Thomas Reilly, to discuss how to strengthen bilateral cooperation between the two countries.
The two ministers discussed the opportunities for British investment in Morocco, particularly in the fields of renewable energy, hydrogen production, natural gas extraction, and research and innovation.
Rabbah and his British counterpart also highlighted other areas of common interest, such as launching an electricity market between Morocco and the UK through solar links and cooperation between the private sectors of the two countries.
Morocco hopes to attract investments in renewable energies during the upcoming UN Climate Change Conference (COP 26), revealed Rabbah during the meeting.
The UK is set to host COP 26 in Glasgow, Scotland. The event, initially scheduled for November 9-19, was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The two senior officials also recalled the Morocco-UK discussions and agreements during the UK-Africa Investment Summit. The event took place on January 20 in London and represented a platform for Moroccan and British decision makers and business leaders to discover new areas of cooperation.
During the summit, UK officials expressed their intention to make Morocco “a hub and a gateway to Africa” after Brexit.
Morocco and the UK are “writing a new page in the history” of their economic relations, said Morocco’s Minister Delegate for Foreign Affairs Mohcine Jazouli during the event.
At the end of the video conference, Rabbah and Grimstone agreed to arrange face-to-face visits when possible after the COVID-19 pandemic and to establish a joint committee to develop a partnership roadmap.
The meeting only consolidates the improving relationships between Morocco and the UK.
In recent months, the two countries have been discussing several projects in the fields of education, trade, culture, and security.
On April 24, the Moroccan Ministry of Education signed an agreement with the British Council in Morocco to promote the use and teaching of the English language in Morocco.
According to the agreement, several English teaching programs will broadcast on Moroccan radio and television, including the “World on the Street” television show and the “Obla Air” radio program.
The British Council co-produced the programs with the BBC.
In terms of trade, commercial exchange between Morocco and the UK reached more than MAD 18.3 billion ($1.86 billion) in 2018, with the value of Moroccan exports to the UK representing MAD 8 billion ($813 million).
The numbers make the UK Morocco’s seventh-largest destination for exports and the 11th largest source of imports.
