Rabat – Pekka Hyvonen, Finland’s ambassador to Morocco, will lead a business delegation from the European country to explore trade opportunities in the Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region from January 27-29.
A statement from the Finnish Embassy in Morocco said that the ambassador will travel to the region along with a team from Business Finland, a public organization for innovation, funding, trade, travel, and investment promotion in the European country.
The purpose of the visit is to explore economic potential in the region with the aim of discovering possible moroccan-Finish partnership opportunities.
“This mission represents a unique opportunity to explore the region’s very promising market for Finnish technology and know-how, particularly in the fields of digitalization and the circular economy,” the embassy said.
Finland also expressed its determination to further bilateral cooperation with Morocco in different fields, especially including trade.
Business Finland opened an office in Morocco’s Casablanca last year. The office sees a “lot of potential to increase trade relations with Morocco,” the embassy said.
Trading Economics, an online platform that provides economic data and forecasts on 196 countries, reported that Finland’s exports to Morocco amounted to $167.65 million in 2019.
Meanwhile, Moroccan exports to Finland amounted to $7.73 during the same year.
Read also: Finland Plans to Adopt Hybrid Strategy to Lift Lockdown, Reopen Country
Additional data show that imports from Morocco to Finland in the third quarter in 2020 reached € 5.2 million.
Moroccan imports in Finnish markets include food and beverages, industrial supplies, transport equipment, and consumer goods.
The latest statistics show that the vast majority of products Finland traditionally imports from Morocco are consumer goods (64.6%).
During the same year, exports to Morocco from Finland reached €40 million. The products include fuels and lubricants (43.3%), as well as industrial supplies.
In addition to trade, the two countries also seek to cooperate in other areas including education.
During the upcoming visit, Finnish ambassador will launch an educational partnership between FinlandWay Schools and the Amana school in the Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region.
“This partnership concerns the use of Finnish pedagogy in the kindergarten of
the Amana school from September 2021. The launch with the theme ‘Getting started’
will take place on January 28,” the embassy announced.
This is not the first time that Finland has expressed its determination to boost bilateral cooperation with Morocco.
In September 2020, Ambassador Hyvonen met with Habib El Malki, the speaker of Morocco’s House of Representatives. The meeting served as an opportunity for both countries to discuss cooperation in different fields, including renewable energy, and green economy.
During the meeting, El Malki also emphasized the importance of cooperation with Finland, welcoming the “friendly ties” between the countries’ legislative institutions and the regular consultations between Moroccan and Finnish officials.
Hyvonen, for his part, said his country sees Morocco as a “modern and stable” country.
Like other EU countries, Finland considers Morocco as a gateway to Africa.
