Rabat – UK Ambassador to Morocco Simon Martin says he is fully satisfied with the cooperation between Rabat and London.
In an interview with Morocco’s national radio, Martin said the UK and Morocco have complementary economies, with a shared objective of boosting trade and investment.
Simon Martin said the objectives are framed under a new perspective in the post-Brexit era.
“We work to enhance this relationship under a new framework,” the ambassador said, citing the Association Agreement between Morocco and the UK.
Signed in October 2019, the agreement preserves strong bilateral partnerships in a post-Brexit spirit. It entered into force on January 1.
Trade and renewable energies
Under the association, Simon Martin said that the two countries prioritize boosting trade and investment to take their cooperation to advanced levels.
The official also expressed hope to see the countries working together to enter each other markets and to encourage direct investments.
For the diplomat, Morocco and the UK can work in different fields, including agriculture, education, infrastructure, healthcare, financial services, and mostly renewable energies.
Martin extolled Morocco’s ernegies assets, emphasizing the importance of sharing expertise in the fields.
“We have a great deal of expertise to share in terms of renewable energies. Here in Morocco, the solar sector is extraordinary and we in the UK are world leaders in wind energy,” the official said.
Morocco considers itself a regional leader in the field of solar energy, even as it hoopes to take the sector to an even more advanced stage.
The country has abundant solar resources with a potential of 2,600 kilowatts per square meter per year.
Through its solar energy project, the country seeks to set up a capacity of electricity to become self-sufficient in terms of electricity production.
The list of Morocco’s flagship solar projects includes the Ouarzazate solar plant, Ain Beni Mathar, and Foum El Oued stations.
Interested in Morocco’s energy sector, the UK ambassador recalled that his country is a world leader in the wind sector, which makes the two countries have complementary resources.
Simon Martin recalled that his country is the host of COP 2-26 scheduled for November this year. He believes that Morocco is a world leader in climate change, suggesting that the North African country’s expertise can contribute to the success of the UK’s event.
“We got so much to learn from Morocco in this field as we are preparing to host the event in November,” he said.
Morocco hosted the COP22 in 2016 in Marrakech. The country received applause successfully organizing the event.
UK-Morocco: 300 of cooperation
Morocco and the UK celebrated this year 300 years of diplomatic ties and cooperation.
At a ceremony they organized to mark the 300th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries, the Moroccan and British embassies said the decades of cooperation between Rabat and London were characterized by prosperity and progress.
Celebrating the ties between the two countries, Simon Martin described Morocco-UK cooperation as flourishing.
He said the collaboration covers several areas, including history and culture, some of the common interests between the two countries
UK investments in Western Sahara
During his interview, the UK ambassador reiterated his country’s support for the UN-led political process to end the Sahara conflict.
He also emphasized the importance of the involvement of all parties to the conflict to find a mutually acceptable solution, welcoming Morocco’s credible and serious efforts to the process.
Regarding UK’s investments in the region, the ambassador said that there are already UK operators working in the field.
He concluded that British investors take into account the state of affairs in the region before making their decisions to settle there, in particular with regard to the status of the territory.”
