Pekka Hyvonen, the ambassador of Finland to Morocco, started this week a three-day visit to the Fez-Meknes region to cement the improving economic ties between Morocco and Finland, Moroccan state media reported yesterday.
The visit is set to last from May 18 to 20, according to the report. It added that the trip is meant to “explore the economic and trade potential and discover opportunities for partnership and collaboration between” Morocco and Finland.
In a statement, the Finnish embassy in Rabat emphasized the existence of enormous investment opportunities in Morocco. Ambassador Hyvonen’s visit to the Fez-Meknes region is part of a newfound dynamic to further deepen commercial and diplomatic ties between Rabat and Helsinki, argued the statement.
Accompanying the Finnish ambassador on his Fez-Meknes trip is a delegation from “Business Finland,” a Finnish government-affiliated investment agency.
The participation of the investment body testifies to Finland’s sincere interest in cementing its economic relations with Morocco, suggested the embassy’s statement. It stressed that the visit represents a “unique opportunity to explore the very promising dynamism” of the Fez-Meknes region.
Finland recently adopted a new “Africa Strategy” to further diversify its economic and diplomatic outreach across the African continent.
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The delegation will meet with senior regional authorities, including the Regional Investment Centre, the General Confederation of Enterprises in Morocco, the Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Services, as well as private sector actors, said the report by Morocco’s state media.
The visit will conclude with “a virtual inauguration ceremony of the new Honorary Consulate of Finland in Fez,” added the report.
Recently, the Finnish embassy in Rabat appointed Kenza Ouazzani Chahdi as the first-ever Honorary Consul of Finland in the Fez-Meknes region.
Chahdi is tasked with promoting economic and commercial relations between Finland and Morocco. In particular, the new consul is set to help explore investment and cooperation opportunities in the region, and provide required assistance to Moroccan and Finnish businesses that are eager to further deepen the improved Morocco-Finland ties.
With its assertive presence in Africa and its increasingly dynamic business industry, Morocco could play a capital role in the success of Finland’s new Africa-focused policy, the embassy’s statement appeared to suggest.
